As part of the retrospective analysis of the Collaborative Water Planning Project, this case study reviewed the water planning process in the Ord River, in Western Australia,  undertaken between 2003 and 2007 by the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Water.

In this report, the collaborative components of the water planning process in the Gulf are considered against four criteria for the effectiveness of collaboration:

• as a mechanism of improved decision-making, including governance, due process and the reconcilliation of competing knowledge claims
• as a facilitator of social process, including improving social learning, relationships and mitigating conflict
• as a means of improving outcomes, including efficiency, equity, and social perception
• as a pathway for catalytic changes in the community

On the basis of this analysis, the report documents a series of barriers and enablers experienced by water planners and the community for enhancing the collaborative nature of water planning.

Download the report here.