"Re-Re-Embedding" the Economy in Social Relations and Natural Realities: Ecological Federalism and Ecological Civilisation as Local and Global Responses to the Ecological Crisis on the Murray-Darling Basin and the Breakdown of Democracy

Informed by the work of environmental philosopher Arran Gare, this Ph.D. thesis situates the emergence of the public good conception of water in its cultural and ecological context, highlighting the role Alfred Deakin’s liberal socialism played in this political project; critically analyses the implications of the commodification of water in the 1980s, specifically in relation to public policy, agricultural production and democratic organisation; and develops an ethical framework synthesising insights from both the natural and human sciences to justify strengthening community and democratic control over water policy, which can transform the trajectory of both Australian federalism and global civilisation.