A Case Study in Effective Public Participation in the Development of Public Sector Policy: The Quinninup Water Source Protection Plan

Burchell MP¹*

1. Water and Rivers Commission, East Perth, Western Australia, Australia

The Water and Rivers Commission, a Western Australian government agency, is responsible for the protection and management of the State’s water resources, including the protection and management of public drinking water source areas (PDWSAs). This is achieved through the development of Water Source Protection Plans (WSPPs). WSPPs are non-statutory documents developed in consultation with relevant stakeholders and the community for specific drinking water sources. The Commission can regulate land uses and activities in PDWSAs. Decreasing resources have resulted in a need for efficiency through community self enforcement. The Quinninup WSPP is an example of how this is achievable through community engagement and participation in policy development and implementation.

This paper will discuss the development of the Quinninup WSPP through citizen involvement in policy development. The paper will discuss the implementation of techniques used to engage the community and encourage them to participate in the plan’s development. The Quinninup WSPP provides an excellent case study as it allows the theoretical aspects of community engagement to be implemented in a practical demonstration. The case study demonstrated active citizenship and engagement in the protection and management of the local drinking water supply through participatory techniques.

Success lay in engaging the community to be part of the plan’s development, which increased their awareness of issues and educated the community on protection and management strategies. Community involvement resulted in ownership and active participation in the management of their drinking water. Initial results indicated a high level of ownership in the development of the plan and active participation in the management of the drinking water source. Further research should be undertaken to evaluate the long term success of this approach, improve future community engagement in public policy development and identify elements required for ongoing community engagement.

Click here to view the full paper