4 March 2010
STATEMENT ON MELBOURNE WATER’S RESEARCH
There have been some recent media reports regarding Melbourne Water’s approach to research into the community’s attitudes on water issues. We would like to set the record straight on why we do this research.
- Melbourne Water periodically conducts research to help improve our understanding of the community’s views on a range of water-related issues.
- Broadly speaking, it’s about listening to the community’s views on water. We want to know what matters to the people who pay for the work we do.
- The research is commissioned directly by Melbourne Water, specifically to help us deliver on our responsibilities to educate the community on water.
- People’s relationship to water has changed a lot in the past 10 years, and as the manager of that resource, it’s important for us to know how they feel about it. We’d risk being out of touch otherwise. For instance, water use in Melbourne is about 40% lower than it was in the 1990s. We think it’s worth understanding the shift in thinking that goes with such big changes in behaviour.
- Two issues we’re asked about a lot are the role of dams and the cost of water. Melbourne Water has clear views on these issues, but we wanted a better idea of what the community thinks because these two topics tend to colour any discussion about water in Melbourne.
Media Contact: Andrew McGinnes +613 9235 7277 +61 (0)403 930 846