Early facilities for the disposal of sewage in Australia were primitive in the extreme, but public health considerations in Sydney and Melbourne soon led to the development of collection and removal works for those and other large cities. Australia's sewerage authorities, coming late into the field, had the advantage of being able to select the most appropriate technologies from those in use elsewhere, after frequent visits to Europe and North America by Australian engineers. This practice has continued to the present day, with South Africa added to the visiting list because of climatic and other similarities to Australia. This practice has assisted in keeping local knowledge up to date with new technology, often successfully modified for local conditions, but has militated against the development of an adequate level of original research in this country. The main emphasis has therefore been on adaptation of overseas processes.

Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering