Expert Advocates for Water Security to Enable “Future Made in Australia”

Future Made in Australia

Kristi McLachlan, Regional Director of Water Australia Asia for Hatch, a global leader in urban solutions and engineering projects, emphasizes the critical role of water security in advancing Australia’s technological and manufacturing sectors.

“Boosting technologies and manufacturing for a ‘Future Made in Australia’ could get off to a healthy start if we focus on water security solutions,” McLachlan asserts. She urges a comprehensive societal approach to ensure sufficient water supplies for drinking, industrial, agricultural, mining, and commercial needs.

“Ramping up Australian manufacturing is much-needed blue-sky thinking, but as part of that discussion, we need to be talking about how we manage water today and into the future. The average person would be stunned to know how much water is needed for manufacturing processes like clothing, food production, and mining extraction,” she says.

McLachlan notes that while Australia employs various water management techniques—such as desalination, water treatment plants, rainwater tanks, and recycling—these methods often shift risks rather than solve problems. She advocates for a circular economy approach to water use in Australia, focusing beyond individual use cases to create a more sustainable and integrated water management system.

“Some water resources in Australia are considered ‘waste’, but there are opportunities to use technology and treatment processes to repurpose that water, delivering better overall environmental outcomes. This means exploring the potential for reusing water after treatment rather than discharging it to the environment or storing unusable water in large dams,” McLachlan explains.

She also highlights the viability of desalination plants as part of a holistic water security strategy. Despite the energy required and environmental challenges, desalination plants are crucial for producing drinking and process water, particularly during droughts. McLachlan sees potential in harnessing the thermal load from desalination for other uses, although this process has not yet been scaled to industrial levels.

The push towards hydrogen as a clean energy source adds another dimension to water management discussions. “It takes nine litres of water to create just one kilogram of hydrogen, which has thrice the power of petroleum. We will need to consider the source of this water, which is where repurposing wastewater could come in,” McLachlan says.

McLachlan points out the negative consequences of isolated water management practices, particularly in the mining sector.

Operators often use clean water for extraction processes, leaving used water in large ponds that can impact the surrounding environment. Hatch and its partners are exploring ways to improve water recycling processes in resource and state utility sectors to enhance water quality and accessibility.

“Someone mismanaging water in one area can significantly impact other communities. For instance, residential developments can be affected by groundwater pollution, or watersoluble chemicals can be drawn into the water cycle and rain on other parts of the world. It’s all connected,” she explains.

McLachlan advocates for a regional or broader perspective to encourage businesses to collaborate on creating a circular economy around water. She suggests that business leaders and regulators could set up frameworks for responsible water use within this model.

“Can Australia have water security? It absolutely can – we’re girt by sea, and as long as we have power, we can have water security. We need to be smart about it and have the long-range view in mind,” she concludes.