Janice Gray

Lessons Learnt from Educating University Students through a Trans-Disciplinary Project for Sustainable Sanitation Using a Systems Approach and Problem-Based Learning

This article discusses how a Systems Thinking (ST) approach to student learning, employing Problem-Based Learning (PBL) interventions, at several different universities in Sydney, Australia was incorporated into a broader trans-disciplinary research project, the aim of which was to examine how urine diversion in an urban, institutional setting might form the basis of phosphorus collection—phosphorus being a non-renewable resource used in agricultural fertilizers. The article explores how the ST approach employed by the researchers themselves was adapted to embrace student engagement opportunities and how it permitted opportunities for Problem-Based Learning interventions. Five academics forming part of the research team consider the effectiveness of ST-styled student engagement via Problem-Based Learning in three action research cycles used in the research project. In sharing their experiences they provide an honest, “no-holds barred” review of what worked and what could be done more effectively with the benefits of hindsight.

Water Entitlements as Property: A Work in Progress or Watertight Now?

This chapter considers a seemingly simple question: are water entitlements property? Yet this question is deceptive in its simplicity. The chapter’s focus is water entitlements and licences in the context of water trading in Australia, but it also references other international jurisdictions and suggests that the concerns raised in the Australian context may have relevance for other jurisdictions where water trading is either being relied on, or being considered as a governance tool. In exploring the property question, the chapter briefly outlines three different theories of property and highlights some existing tensions between different analyses of property in order to demonstrate that property is a complex and nuanced concept which may take different forms depending on which justificatory and analytical approaches are employed. The chapter argues that despite property’s popularity in neo-liberal politics and its convenience as a regulatory tool, the impacts of propertisation should be considered very carefully before the proprietary route is embraced. Accordingly, the chapter also discusses statutory property generally and specifically the characterisation of water entitlements/licences under legislation, before considering whether water entitlements need to be characterised as property to support trading. It then explores the possible effects of keeping water entitlements/licences outside the proprietary frame, arguing that such an approach may open up opportunities for a wider range of governance tools.

Pathways to Improved Water Law and Governance: Public Interest Litigation and Protest

This chapter considers the law and governance of terrestrial water, a resource which perhaps should be, but is presently not, classified as a global commons. Water is not only relied on globally but is a resource which has the capacity to move across the globe by way of the water cycle and the related processes of precipitation and evaporation. However, terrestrial water is usually governed domestically. Therefore, it is of great importance to get that domestic law and governance right. Getting it right will have effects well beyond the jurisdiction in which the law is made.

Making Every Drop Count: International Responses to Water Management Challenges

Abstract:Although many states have been developing domestic systems to manage local water resources for years, more recent developments in the international community have continued the evolving global perspective on rights to water access and sanitation. A closer look at management systems in countries including Australia, Bolivia, and Chile shows the diversity of responses and the challenges that remain.

Stories from a Favela: The Limits of (Property) Law

184 — AltLJ Vol 30:4 Aug 2005 Mention the city, Rio de Janeiro, and most people are likely to have a reaction...whether they have been there or not. For some, the place evokes images of the great train robber, Ronald Biggs. For others, it’s a case of recalling the performance and glamour of Brazilian soccer stars and beach volleyball heroes. For others still, the images include the statue of Cristo Redentor, Sugar Loaf and the cable car, carioca1 music, year-round sunshine, stunning mountains bursting out of the sea and a fi tness-orientated beach culture which for women involves the mandatory wearing of a ‘fi lo dental’ bikini (known in some cultures as a ‘g-string’ or ‘thong’), while for men it involves perambulation along the promenade in more demure, little, stretchy swimming shorts.