Files
Abstract
The proposal for a 64,000 hectare expansion of the Ord River Irrigation Area is one example
of the renewed interest in agricultural development in the tropical north of the Australian
continent. Thirty five years ago Bruce Davidson provided conclusive ‘evidence’ that
agricultural development in this region was not financially sustainable unless supported by
ongoing government subsidies. He argued that this conclusion was unlikely to change in the
future. This paper outlines the controversy over past and proposed agricultural developments
and explains the role of agriculture in the Kimberley economy today and in relation to other
natural resource based industries. In a time when the paradigm of sustainable development
recognises ‘quality of life’ and ‘equity’ as major objectives of development, positive benefitcost
ratios are reduced to being a necessary but not the only sufficient factor in development
decisions. The trend towards regional governance provides regional communities with both
the opportunity for and difficult task of managing their natural resources sustainably into the
future. The Ord-Bonaparte Program, a 5-year interdisciplinary multi-agency R&D program,
is designed to support regional governance in the East Kimberley region. Its objectives are to
provide relevant data and understanding, and build capacity particularly with indigenous
stakeholders. Applied economic research, within an ecological economics framework, plays a
critical role within the Program. The paper suggests a range of analytical methods and
applications that would make significant contributions to the Program.