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Equipment and instruments used in Advanced Water Treatment plants are expected to fail over multiple years of operation. This study used numerical modelling techniques, informed by data taken from seven AWT plants with a cumulative operating history of 64 years, to simulate failure events that potentially impact water production and/or water quality over a 10-year period. The resilience model indicated that for AWT plants, events that lead to failures in production capacity are eight times more likely than failures that potentially could impact product quality. Moreover, the probability of equipment or instrument failure that could impact water quality can be reduced to less than one event per year through more efficient maintenance strategies. In practice, under the Australian Guidelines for Recycled Water, operators of potable reuse schemes are required to implement plans and procedures that usemultiple continuous on-line monitoring points that interrupt water production in the event that water quality drifts outside tolerable limits at critical control points in the process. Consequently, although the probability of a failure event is low (less than once per year), systems and procedures are in place to prevent the failure event leading to the production and distribution of water that does not meet quality requirements beyond the boundaries of the AWT plant.

Neo-liberalism refers to a public policy mix that is market oriented, pro-trade liberalization and advocates minimal state intervention in the economy. Japanese governance has arguably not been based on neo-liberal principles, and some see this as contributing to Japan’s long-running recession. In 2001 Prime Minister Koizumi came to power promising neo-liberal reform. This paper presents a history of government involvement in the distant-water tuna longline industry and looks for evidence of neo-liberal reforms in fisheries, in terms both of observable changes to governance and of key stakeholders’ receptiveness to neo-liberalism as visible in their representations of issues facing tuna fisheries. We find no evidence of neo-liberal reforms in this sector, and that key stakeholders show little sympathy with neo-liberal policy prescriptions, meaning they are unlikely to champion such reforms. This conclusion may be specific to fisheries since in Japan the political importance of food production and the iconic status of fish cuisine make the sector particularly susceptible to economic and cultural nationalism. In examining relations between industry and government the paper also highlights problems in Japan’s co-management of fisheries. © 2008 BAJS.

Neo-liberalism refers to a public policy mix that is market oriented, pro-trade liberalization and advocates minimal state intervention in the economy. Japanese governance has arguably not been based on neo-liberal principles, and some see this as contributing to Japan’s long-running recession. In 2001 Prime Minister Koizumi came to power promising neo-liberal reform. This paper presents a history of government involvement in the distant-water tuna longline industry and looks for evidence of neo-liberal reforms in fisheries, in terms both of observable changes to governance and of key stakeholders’ receptiveness to neo-liberalism as visible in their representations of issues facing tuna fisheries. We find no evidence of neo-liberal reforms in this sector, and that key stakeholders show little sympathy with neo-liberal policy prescriptions, meaning they are unlikely to champion such reforms. This conclusion may be specific to fisheries since in Japan the political importance of food production and the iconic status of fish cuisine make the sector particularly susceptible to economic and cultural nationalism. In examining relations between industry and government the paper also highlights problems in Japan’s co-management of fisheries. © 2008 BAJS.