Water Policy Development and Analysis

Evidence-based policy analysis that diagnoses complex water challenges and provides clear, implementable and defensible policy pathways.

Diagnosing issues and designing solutions for sustainable water management

Water policy challenges are getting more complex. Climate variability, rising demand, tight deadlines, and capacity constraints make it difficult to develop frameworks that actually work in practice.

I help government departments and water sector organisations diagnose policy issues, assess options, and design evidence-based solutions that are fit for purpose and implementable.

Working with Colton Consulting

What I do

  • Diagnose policy problems and identify root causes through evidence reviews and stakeholder engagement.
  • Analyse policy options using best practice regulatory principles, rigorous frameworks and stakeholder input.
  • Provide clear, defensible advice on policy directions that are practical to implement and translate scientific, technical and market insights into actionable choices.
  • Design frameworks with implementation in mind, including accountability structures, review mechanisms, and adaptive capacity to respond to changing conditions.

When you need this

  • Policy frameworks are outdated, inefficient or not well designed for emerging challenges such as climate, demand, or market pressures.
  • You need rigorous options analysis to support Ministerial or Cabinet decisions.
  • Internal capacity constraints limit ability to undertake deep diagnostic work.
  • You require independent, defensible advice

What you get

  • Clear problem definition grounded in evidence and aligned with stakeholder realities.
  • Rigorous options analysis that can withstand scrutiny.
  • Defensible policy recommendations that are implementable within your organisational and political constraints.
  • Policy, guideline and procedure drafting presented in clear, accessible formats that non-technical stakeholders can understand and use.
  • Plain-English summaries, visuals and communication products that translate complex analysis into clear insights for decision-makers and stakeholders.
  • Engagement leadership and facilitation, guiding stakeholders through policy issues, options and impacts to build shared understanding and support.
  • Most importantly, you build internal capability through the process rather than remaining dependent on external advice.

Relevant experience

Fairness Implementation Guide (Watertrust, 2025)

Developing research-based policy guidance and tools to embed fairness and transparency in water decisions, supported by engagement and piloting.

Basin Plan Review – Third-party impacts, environmental water & water quality (Murray-Darling Basin Authority, 2024–25)

Provided specialist analysis and clear reform recommendations across third-party impacts, river operations, environmental water and Basin-wide water quality governance.

Basin Plan Review – Water trading rules (Murray-Darling Basin Authority, 2024)

Assessed Basin Plan trading rules against best-practice principles and identified priority issues and options for the Review.

Schedule D Review – Interjurisdictional trade (Murray-Darling Basin Authority, 2021–24)

Led multi-year review, diagnosing issues, analysing options and delivering an agreed, implementation-ready package of regulatory improvements.

Water Accountability Review (Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania, 2022–23)

Reviewed the accountability framework and recommended policy improvements based on jurisdictional comparison and best-practice principles.

Let's discuss your policy challenge

Contact me to discuss how evidence-based policy analysis can support your water management objectives.

Yvette Colton
yvette@coltonconsulting.com.au
+61 411 302 977

Contact Colton Consulting