A new framework to investigate how organisational relationships support natural resource policy implementation: A case study of irrigation policy in the Shepparton Irrigation Region

In Victoria, responsibility for developing and implementing natural resource policy is often shared among organisations. When responsibilities are shared, a web of dependencies is created among the organisations which need to be managed by each organisation if they are to fulfil their individual responsibilities (Kaine and Keeble 2007). This suggests that the management of relationships between organisations has a fundamental bearing on whether natural resource policy will be implemented successfully. We developed the Relationship Choice Framework (RCF) by adapting Hunter's (2004) approach for outsourcing to reveal how relationships between organisations can be managed to support the implementation of natural resource policy. Using the RCF we can evaluate relationships between organisations from three dimensions: governance, strategy and workforce management. Each relationship dimension has characteristics that can be used to choose the most appropriate management responses for a given relationship. To test the usefulness of the RCF we undertook a case study of the relationship between the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority (GB CMA) and the Department of Sustainability and Environment's Sustainable Irrigation Program (DSE SIP) for irrigation policy in the Shepparton Irrigation Region. The case study findings are the focus of this report.