For example, while the elimination of farm subsidies in New Zealand was accompanied by a lowering of tariffs on farm inputs, the latter proceeded at a slower pace. The resultant short-term hardship for the sector could have been avoided with better co-ordination of the respective reforms (Vitalis, 2006). This can often reflect uncertainty about, or a lack of understanding of, the severity and causes of an environmental problem or the benefits of action (OECD, 2008a). This was the case, for example, with the Water Reform Framework in Australia, where the economic and environmental benefits of the reform were diffuse and poorly understood by the public (OECD, 2009).