Often sensitive industries such as those dependent on agricultural resources are left out of FTAs. On the other hand, FTAs can bring in specific non-WTO aspects like competition policy to facilitate trade. In this paper, the development of the AANZFTA is analysed within a framework...

The move to decentralize and develop the inner areas of New South Wales in the first half of the century resulted in the development of several irrigation regions along the Murrumbidgee and Murray Rivers. Water was supplied to these regions at a low price, resulting in overuse of water and...

Illegal foreign fishing for sharks in Northern Australia has increased substantially over the last two decades. This has likely resulted in declines of shark species abundance, with potentially far-reaching impacts on the ecosystem. This, in turn, could also have indirectly affected the legal...

The Eastern tuna and billfish fishery (ETBF) is currently managed through an input quota system based on individual transferable effort units (the number of hooks) and a total allowable effort level (i.e. total number of hooks) A spatial management policy based on a series of differential...

Fishers are faced with multiple risks, including unpredictability of future catch rates, prices and costs. While the latter are largely beyond the control of fisheries managers, effective fisheries management should reduce uncertainty about future catches. Different management instruments are...

Improving the economic performance of fisheries is becoming increasingly important in fisheries management, and in some cases, maximum economic yield (MEY) is set as a key management target. However, associated with MEY is a level of fishing activity that is lower than would otherwise occur,...

There is pressure in Australia for water management reform to ensure an efficient allocation of resources between productive uses and to provide adequate conservation of the environment. The establishment of water markets and trade has been seen as the primary mechanism for improving the...

Improving the conservation status of remnant native vegetation on private property (RNV) has a number of economic benefits. RNV can contribute to on-farm productivity through provision of unimproved grazing, timber products and stock shelter. It may contribute to enhancing the productivity of...

Sugar cane farms are the single biggest user of irrigation water in Queensland. Recent drought and unreliable rainfall patterns in areas traditionally reliant on rainfall for crop production has resulted in increasing interest in, and adoption of supplementary irrigation to help underpin...

The soil acidity research and extension program in Western Australia is made up of a number of projects, all of which are working towards the overall aim of helping farmers to manage soil acidity profitably. As a means of achieving this aim scientists are undertaking research to provide...