International Benchmarking of the Arrangements for Drinking Water Standards

International Benchmarking Study

This study has concluded and the international benchmarking report, Arrangements for Setting Drinking Water Standards was released on 14 April 2000.

As part of a series of international benchmarking projects, the Productivity Commission studied the regulatory arrangements for setting quality standards for drinking water. Benchmarking studies of the waterfront and telecommunications sectors have preceded this study.

Australia-wide, the urban water sector faces the prospect of having to make large investments in treatment technologies because of rising water quality standards. In this context, it was relevant to explore how higher standards are developed, how risks are analysed, and how decisions are taken to implement higher standards.

The objective of the study was to evaluate whether current regulatory arrangements conformed with best practice principles for regulation-making in Australia and overseas, in the areas of:

• Institutional settings — the organisations involved, including their representation, responsibilities, accountabilities and decision-making frameworks used; and
• Regulatory process — the procedural steps to setting standards and producing a regulatory impact statement.

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