Achieving Sustainable Development: Scientific Uncertainty and Policy Innovation in Tasmanian Regional Development

Following the UNCED Conference of 1992, most nations have committed themselves to sustainable development. But what does this phrase mean in practice and how is it being implemented in federal countries such as Australia? In particular, what are the implications for peripheral regional economies such as Tasmania? This article examines the establishment and initial operations of the Sustainable Development Advisory Council (SDAC) in Tasmania and actions taken with respect to two major projects: development and ratification of a State Coastal Policy and redevelopment of the Mt Lyell copper mine in western Tasmania, designated a Project of State Significance (POSS). Both involve a perplexing conjunction of scientific uncertainty, economic significance and innovative policy-making. Do they indicate a need to reinvent policy process? What are the broader implications for public policy?