Institutional reform in rural Australia: defining and allocating of property rights

The current debate on the use of property rights as an instrument to progress ecologically sustainable development in rural Australia is circumscribed by agricultural fundamentalism, by commodification, and by command and control processes in rural programs. This reinforcing loop makes the creative processes that are essential to problem definition and solution even more difficult, thus further constraining progress. This paper explores some of the constraints and argues that the mindscapes Australians hold of rural Australia are agricultural-centric, based on questionable analyses, and reinforced by institutional cultures, structures and processes. The ecological future of rural Australia demands a fundamental reassessment of the role, nature and performance of Australian agriculture and the implementation of innovative conceptual frameworks and systems.