1. From the Acting Chief Executive Officer
By Dr Bek Christensen
Fuelled by the topicality of the Murray Darling Basin Plan, I was drawn to a paper of Peter’s, circa 2007, who’s central messages echo loudly across the years to hit with impact in our current context.
In this edition of Bridging, we’ve published that important paper and encourage you to reflect on the courage, grit and persistence that we need as leaders to see major, systemic change through to implementation. As Peter says in the paper, ‘There is much to be done’. That sentiment is well coupled with the wisdom of recent Perth Lunch with a Leader speaker Collene Castle, detailed in this edition, who asks as a courageous leader ‘if not me – then who?’
This edition of Bridging has a focus on regional water and includes a range of voices, findings and provocations on the MDB, balanced by an opinion piece from Dr Allan Dale on water allocation planning in Northern Australia. Another region of our country faced with the challenges of contested resources, and a valuable perspective to explore.
Also featured here is the write up and link to the recording of our August webinar on how we can influence critical conversations about water’s role in enabling change, and critically in enabling society-wide solutions for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Our next national webinar for Fellows and Friends of the Trust is scheduled for 18 October on the theme “Law and Lore” and features three remarkable voices – Professor Jennifer McKay, Dr Madeleine Hartley and Dr Anne Poelina – who will help us to unpack some of the challenges that we face in water law, justice, policy and collective wisdom in the face of a changing climate.
Change is also afoot within the walls of the Trust, as we seek the next Chief Executive Officer to lead us through our next stage of mission-driven growth and development. Applications from motivated, collaborative and entrepreneurial individuals with a passion for leadership in our sector are welcome prior to Friday 13 October. This is a rare opportunity to contribute to a respected and reputable organisation with an appetite for bridging science, people and the environment.
Our big program of November events, held for the first time in Brisbane, offers time, space and focus for meaningful conversations and connections, new and old, to be strengthened around our common purpose – to foster courageous leadership to tackle big challenges in water and environment.
Which I think is what Peter would encourage us to do.
Enjoy the read.
2. In This Issue: Regional Water
Beyond Water Allocation Planning in Northern Australia
By Dr Allan Dale, Professor of Tropical Regional Development, James Cook University
Since federation, the prospect of developing northern Australia’s significant water resources has been regularly revisited, primarily through mega-dam construction proposals. Under Australia’s more recent Whitepaper on Developing Northern Australia, this trend has continued, resulting in several major proposals based on yields exceeding National Water Initiative compliant water allocation plans. This paper explores the importance of continuing water allocation planning across the north, but suggests that we need to start building new catchment scale approaches to planning for the effective development of allocated water.
The 2015 Whitepaper on Developing Northern Australia marked a significant next step in this policy cycle. The new policy reflected Canberra’s most recent bilateral and bipartisan northern development agenda. Billions in government and private-sector investment flowed into an extensive range of policies and programs, including the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund (NWIDF). The NWIDF set aside resources to explore a new cadre of significant water development proposals in the north, and mainly in Queensland.
As Professor of Tropical Regional Development at JCU, I have been actively involved over the last 15 years in societal-wide debates about the future of northern Australia. One thing, however, has always been clear to me; that northern Australia is an incredibly contested landscape. While agriculturalists are looking to the nation’s north to escape the decline in southern Australia’s water resources, the south’s conservation sector also would like to see much of the region preserved as iconic wilderness. Both conservation and resource development interests alike are often at odds with the interests of the north’s traditional owners, many of whom remain trapped in welfare dependency and poverty.
One may think that, in places like Queensland, where National Water Initiative (NWI) compliant water allocation planning has been carried out over recent decades, the progression of consequent water development might be more orderly. Queensland’s water planning system is indeed quite mature by national and global standards. Our water plans are reasonably well engaged and science-based. Whilst the next generation of water planning needs to better account for both climate risk and Indigenous rights and interests, at least there is a foundation for proposing new water infrastructure that will both meet environmental expectations and provide security to irrigators and other water users.
Despite this, since 2015, Northern Queensland has seen a rash of actively considered water development proposals that, if progressed to construction, quite literally would have broken the water bank. Proposals like the IFED Development in the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Hells Gates proposal on the Burdekin sought to yield far more water than currently allocated under existing water plans, meaning that at some stage in their development journey, they would likely be unable to be approved under existing environmental laws.
The mother of all of these proposals, the massive Bradfield Scheme, actually ended up a key Coalition election promise during the 2020 Queensland election campaign. After this, in late 2020, I was appointed to the Queensland government’s Bradfield Regional Assessment Panel, chaired by Ross Garnaut and also involving Georgina Davis, then CEO of Queensland Farmers Federation. The Panel was an opportunity to acknowledge the potential for sustainable development of Queensland’s significant and available water resources in the north, and to reflect on new and innovative ways to do water development planning to secure true and long-term sustainability for these regions and waters.
Increasingly, my experiences on dealing with the implications of these many mega-proposals has reminded me that northern Australia absolutely has significant water development potential. If well integrated with energy planning, and if planned in a way that delivers highly circularised economic outcomes, then Queensland and other northern Australian regions have a very significant role to play in building long term drought, energy and agricultural resilience across the nation. However, the north has been left battered by mythical development proposals that would simply break the water bank. If such proposals persist, then we could waste enormous regional effort, time and money barking up dry gullies. Worse still, without stronger and persistent water governance, we could see the sorry repeat of development models that have led to our current Murray Darling crisis.
The Bradfield Panel recommendations offer some solutions to this complex water governance problem for the north. The Panel stressed that “there is a strong case for planning and investing in the use of water closer to where it falls to accelerate regional development in central and northern Queensland, including in the Gulf of Carpentaria and Lake Eyre Basin areas”. In more developed catchments on the east coast, however, we also considered that, within such an improved water development planning framework, there was an opportunity to explore the feasibility of more secure intra and inter-catchment water grids, building on the lessons learned in cross-regional grids in the State’s southeast.
Shifting from water allocation planning by adding more effective catchment scale water development planning, however, would require some fundamentally different approaches. Such approaches must start by working within the extraction limits established through water allocation plans. It would also mean taking a long term and wider view of achieving equitable water development outcomes across and within regional scales. It would mean exploring every option available for getting better value out of allocated water, with options ranging from strategic water infrastructure in the right locations through to research and development that lifts value adding opportunities for agricultural products within regions. Such approaches would require new regionally-based institutions focussed on effective and partnership based planning, option prioritisation and investment attraction (with the Tasmanian Irrigation model presenting some lessons of value). At the forefront of all such approaches, we need to see each region’s First Nations as genuine partners in any water development process.
Without a strong policy and planning framework for water development (versus just water allocation), North Queensland and northern Australia will experience more unsustainable proposals that will both hinder genuine economic development while threatening our natural assets. With limited water allocation planning completed, the Northern Territory is in an even more precarious situation. In northern Western Australia, much more effective water development planning for the deeper use of significant available water in the Ord Scheme could bring greater value to the Western Australia economy. It could also be the key to solving very significant conflicts over water development in WA’s Fitzroy River system.
WHAT NEXT FOR THE MURRAY-DARLING BASIN?
Murray-Darling Basin Plan to be extended under a new agreement, without Victoria – but an uphill battle lies ahead
From Dr Jamie Pittock, Friend of the Trust, as published in The Conversation, 22 August 2023
Federal Minister for Water Tanya Plibersek has announced a new agreement to restore Australia’s largest and most important river basin. It comes just months before the original Murray-Darling Basin Plan was to be completed.
This was a plan to benefit people and nature, to protect river communities, industries and the environment against future droughts. It was forged in response to the gruelling Millennium Drought, when the Murray River stopped flowing to the sea.
It was clear too much water was being taken out of the system and everyone would suffer if Basin states could not find a better way to share. But it has been much harder to strike the right balance than first hoped.
When it became clear in July it was no longer possible to deliver the plan in full and on time, the federal government started hatching a new plan.
Now Plibersek is offering “more time, more money, more options, and more accountability”, acutely aware that “the next drought is just around the corner”. But she faces an uphill battle, with Victoria still holding out. Further, the legislation is yet to go before parliament and needs to be passed before Christmas.
Wannabe Basin Plan
By Phillip Jordan (2016)
This provocation from Fellow Phillip Jordan welcomes your feedback. If you’d like to discuss, you can contact Phillip HERE .
Facing up to the Water Crisis in the Murray Darling Basin
By Professor Peter Cullen, 13 March 2007
The following is an extract from a paper delivered at the Brisbane Institute by Peter Cullen in March 2007, providing an opportunity to wind back and consider the origins of the Basin Plan. As Peter noted in this paper “It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to develop a sustainable and healthy Murray Darling Basin. There is much to be done.” What would he make of our progress in the past 16 years? Have we brought science to policy? Have we spoken truth to power?
Much of Australia seems to be drying and we are now facing real water scarcity for many of our cities and for rural areas. The Murray-Darling Basin extends across one-seventh of the continent and contains 20 major rivers. It is the economic powerhouse of rural Australia, producing about 40% of the agricultural income and contains about three-quarters of the irrigated land in the country. It is home to around two million people and directly supports another million including those in Adelaide and much of South Australia. The long-term inflow to the Murray River is around 10,500 GL, but the average over the last six years has been around 40% of this at 4300 GL. We appear to have returned to a drier period following an unusually wet period between 1950 and 1990. Many other rivers in South Eastern Australia have shown a similar drop over the last 10-15 years. The major storages of the Basin are now almost empty, irrigation allocations have been slashed and emergency planning is underway to ensure water supplies for the city of Adelaide. Urban and rural Australians dependent on the waters of the Murray now face an unwelcome adjustment.
The history of water development in the Murray-Darling Basin is a history of articulate interest groups seeking to have the waters used for their particular advantage. There has always been a tension between the upstream States and the downstream State who have had differing views. This has not changed over the century since the Corowa Conference of 1902 where the challenge was to develop a workable mechanism to manage the shared resources of the Basin.
The partnership of six Governments attempting to manage the Basin, developed over a century of conflict about water, worked adequately in a time of expansion and growth, but over the last decade has shown itself unable to come to terms with over allocation and cope with a drying Basin.
The Prime Minister has recognized this failure of governance of the MDB and has addressed it with his proposal that powers be transferred to the Commonwealth to manage the MDB as a single system and providing $10 billion to address water security issues in Australia. Most commentators have welcomed the Prime Ministers plan, and there is widespread agreement that something had to be done. Even Victoria, so far refusing to sign the agreement, acknowledges that action is needed; they just differ on the means. While welcoming the initiative, many are concerned about the detail as to what has to happen and are concerned they will suffer.
Restoring Our Rivers Bill 2023 – Public Webinar
DCCEEW will be hosting an online public information session about the Water Amendment Bill 2023 on the 11th of October at 11:30am (AEDT).
The webinar will run for 90 minutes and be moderated by the Chair of the Basin Community Committee (BCC), Ms Rachel Kelly. The panel will include representatives from DCCEEW, MDBA, CEWH, BoM, ACCC and IGWC.
Registration for the webinar, more details about the legislation and a report from DCCEEW’s recent consultation on ideas to deliver the Basin Plan can be found HERE.
Symposium on the Risks to Shared Water Resources in the Murray-Darling Basin – 29 November
The ANU Institute for Water Futures invites you to a symposium on a recently published scientific review of water resources.
The large-scale review – led by the Australian National University (ANU) and involving 24 experts from 10 organisations – found that most previously identified risks to water resources in the Murray-Darling Basin remain, with new risks emerging. Water managers must plan for a significant decrease in water availability and governments need to actively manage these risks under conditions of increasing uncertainty.
These reviews bring an updated understanding of risk assessment and management that can contribute to the upcoming reviews of the Water Act and Basin Plan in 2024–26.
This public event will include presentations by authors on the 6 key risks to water resources in the Basin, a presentation on the synthesis paper, and audience Q&A sessions.
Date: Wednesday 29 November, 09:30am-12:30pm AEDT
Location: ANU, Canberra online (details will be available via the Registration Link shortly)
Register: Click HERE
3. On Leadership
LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS 2023/2024
By Dr Bek Christensen, PCT Programs Director
2023 PCT Leadership Program (Women) is off and running
The 2023 PCT Leadership Program (Women) started with Session 1 held in south-east Queensland from 4-8 September. There are 17 outstanding leaders on this Program, from almost all States and Territories – including 5 from Western Australia! This was the first time we’ve held Session 1 in Queensland, and I’m pleased to say things ran smoothly. I extend a big thanks to our colleagues at Outback Initiatives for the excellent planning and preparation work they put in to adapt the program to a new location, and ensure we had a safe and successful week.
The group is now working feverishly on their project, and we are all looking forward to seeing the culmination of their work at their Graduation in November (you can find more details on that elsewhere in this edition).
WSAA Young Utility Leaders 2023-24 Program
Congratulations to Anthea Fernando (Redland City Council), Natalia Quinn (Yarra Valley Water), Emily Hill (Hunter Water), and Rex Ho (South East Water) for being selected by WSAA for this year’s Young Utility Leaders Program. I had the pleasure of meeting the new group of Young Utility Leaders (YULs) before their first workshop in Brisbane in September. As we’ve come to expect from the YULs, this group are ready to make the most of this opportunity and I look forward to seeing their growth throughout the year ahead.
Last Chance – Applications for 2024 PCT Leadership Program close 15 October
Applications for the 2024 PCT Leadership Program are now open, and closing on 15 October! We invite applications from people who are actively involved in water and environmental science, systems, advocacy, policy or management.
This transformative Program is designed to have lasting impact and significantly change the courage, clarity, confidence, shared vision and strategic capability of each participant. Graduates will enter the PCT Fellows Network, now over 260-strong, a growing, empowered cohort of leaders in the water and environment sector.
We invite our readers to reach out to individuals who you identify as having the capacity and the potential to benefit from a PCT Leadership Program.
Information for Applicants and Information for Sponsors is available on the Trust’s website.
Applications close: Sunday 15 October
Contact office@petercullentrust.com.au with any questions.
2022 Women in Water RRR (Reconnect Reflect Refresh) – 16 November – Brisbane
Fellows from the 2022 Women in Water Leadership Program are invited to join us for their post-program RRR. These post-program workshops are unique to the PCT and allow Fellows to reconnect with each other (always fun), reflect on their learnings post-program (always insightful) and refresh their leadership knowledge (always invaluable).
Contact office@petercullentrust.com.au with any questions and to confirm your attendance.
AWARDS AND APPOINTMENTS
Fellows and Friends of the PCT are widely acknowledged for their individual achievements and contributions on many fronts, including:
AWA Queensland – Young Water Person of the Year
A shout out to Chantal Keane (Urban Utilities) who is a finalist for Young Water Person of the Year in the AWA Queensland Awards, with winners to be announced at a gala dinner on 5 October. Chantal was a participant in the WSAA Young Utility Leaders program, delivered by the Trust in 2021/22. Good luck Chantal!
AWA Victoria – Young Water Professional of the Year
Our WSAA Young Utility Leaders continue to impress, with both Marzieh Lotfollahi (SE Water, 2021/22 YUL) and Brendan Moore (YVW, 2029/20 YUL) featuring as finalists in the AWA Victoria Water Awards, which will be announced at the AWA Vic Gala Awards dinner on 26 October. Good luck to both.
4. Network News and Views
FELLOWS COMMITTEE
The Fellows Committee meets monthly to deliver support and opportunities to the Fellows Network, informed by its strategic plan. Through August and September, the Committee has been progressing these items:
- The Ripple Award, recognising the contribution of Fellows to the Peter Cullen Trust and the broader sector, is administered by the Fellows Committee. Nominations from Fellows closed on 27 September and will be considered by the Committee at its October meeting, with the Awards being presented at the November 16 Graduation Event.
- Fellows Professional Development Days are organised by a small team of volunteer Fellows, under the auspices of the Fellows Committee. The next PD Day will be delivered on 16 November in Brisbane. Full details and how to register can be found HERE.
- The Fellows Only LinkedIn platform went live on 6 July, and currently has over 140 subscribers. All Fellows are encouraged to join. If you are not yet engaged in this space, reach out to lesley@petercullentrust.com.au who will send you an invitation.
2023 PETER CULLEN LECTURE – 15 NOVEMBER – BRISBANE
This year’s Peter Cullen Lecture is hosted by the Australian Rivers Institute at Griffith University, and will be held on the evening of Wednesday 15 November at Griffith’s South Bank campus. Negotiations are currently underway with the speaker, so watch your inbox for the announcement soon!
FELLOWS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY – 16 NOVEMBER 2023 – environmental markets – BRISBANE
PCT Fellows Only
It seems you can’t turn on the TV these days without seeing images portraying the decline of Australia’s ecosystems.
While the media reports on impacts such as climate change, fire, floods and drought, our collective failure to appropriately target and scale investment is a key factor. We need to do something differently and urgently.
Environmental markets are being heralded as a new opportunity to finance ecological restoration efforts at scale but are markets the panacea and what skills do our collective cohort need not only to accelerate this investment but to make sure that these are delivering outcomes that respect land ownership and history, and are not simply greenwashing?
With the rich landscape of environmental markets as our context, we’ll look at the leadership capabilities we need to build capacity, partnerships and collaborations and deal with complexity. Our discussions will be enriched by outstanding industry provocateurs, and our connections strengthened through interactive sessions focused on these capabilities.
Our November PD Day in Brisbane – designed by Fellows for Fellows – is a timely opportunity to re-engage with an exceptional network of people who seek to speak truth to power.
PD Day is offered as a free professional development event for all PCT Fellows, but numbers will be limited. Lunch is provided.
For full details and to register, click HERE.
2023 Leadership Program (Women) Graduation – 16 November
PCT Fellows and Friends Only
The Graduation of the 2023 Peter Cullen Trust Leadership Program (Women) will be held on Thursday 16 November at the Sky Room and Terrace, at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Come and see our current cohort deliver their group presentation, pepper them with questions and gather afterwards on the Terrace for drinks and canapes.
For those that cannot attend in person, this event will also be LIVESTREAMED.
When: Thursday 16 November – 5.30 for 5.45 – 9.00pm
Where: Sky Room and Terrace, Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, South Bank (Brisbane)
Keynote Speaker: Hon. John Thwaites AM
Register HERE.
FELLOWS NETWORKING BREAKFAST – 17 NOVEMBER 2023 – BRISBANE
PCT Fellows Only
Fellows are warmly invited to the always-popular Fellows Networking Breakfast, where the newly graduated cohort is welcomed into the fold. A hearty (some would say, recovery) breakfast is provided free of charge to the first 40 registrations.
This event does book out, so act quickly to secure your seat.
For full details and to register, click HERE.
National Webinar SERIES
Law and Lore
Wednesday 18 October, 12.30-2.00pm AEDT
The next PCT National Webinar for Fellows and Friends will be held on Wednesday 18 October, 12.30-2.00pm AEDT. Our panellists will unpack some of the challenges that we face in water law, justice, policy and collective wisdom in the face of a changing climate.
Three presentations, each of approximately 10 minutes, will be recorded and the balance of time allocated to Q&A under Chatham House Rule (not recorded).
Our Panellists are:
Professor Jennifer McKay AM, Professor of Business Law – Justice and Society, University of South Australia; Friend of the Trust
Dr Madeleine Hartley, Fellow (2017), Churchill Fellow (2019), Manager, Policy and Regulatory Strategy, Water NSW
Dr Anne Poelina, Fellow (2011), Professor Indigenous Knowledges, Nulungu Research Institute, University of Notre Dame
For further details, background reading and to register, click HERE.
Please note: this event is for Fellows and Friends of the Trust only.
Strategic Influencing in Water and Climate Change Inter-Dependencies
By Dr Lisa Ehrenfried (2014)
The recent PCT National Webinar on “Strategic Influencing in Water and Climate Change Inter-Dependencies” was attended by around 45 PCT Fellows and Friends from across Australia.
The panellists Tony Slatyer, Professor Damien Batstone and Sarah Ransom, led by the CEO of the Trust, Darryl Day, discussed the role of water in climate change mitigation in the context of the ongoing preparations for COP28.
Tony Slatyer (Friend of the Trust) emphasized the need to recognize water’s role in COP negotiations, especially in adaptation efforts. Many climate mitigation measures are highly dependent on water availability, making it crucial for governments to understand and plan for this interdependence. Putting it bluntly, without water the Paris agreement cannot be achieved or – with a more positive outlook – “Look after water, and water will look after you”. Yet a lot more remains to be done by governments and key agencies to recognise this central role of water to climate change mitigation.
A focus was then placed on the role of water in energy production. Professor Damien Batstone shed light on the vast amount of water embedded in energy production. He also pointed out that current hydrogen strategies for Australia see major hydrogen production places outside of major cities, in places where no wastewater would be available for hydrogen production. He cautioned against relying on desalinated seawater for hydrogen production in water-sensitive regions, as the release of brine and higher temperature water have a negative impact on the environment.
Sarah Ransom, representing the Australian Water Partnership, discussed the evolving conversation around climate and water. She emphasized that water is now part of the cover decisions of the COP agenda, a crucial development in addressing its role in climate change. Ransom also gave some insights into the role of the Australian Water Partnership in sharing climate and water stories, including on valuing Traditional Owner knowledge in climate resilience, and as part of the steering committee of COP28’s water pavilion.
The very lively Q&A session covered a wide range of topics: Australia’s bid to host COP31, the importance of developing renewable energy solutions that do not rely on water, whether we should be concerned about the fact that UAE are hosting the next COP (we don’t need to be!), and Australia’s capacity in water planning and our international reputation in this space (we are respected for what we do, and already have a lot of capacity!). Yet, it is important to remain open-minded and humble: there is a lot we can also learn from other countries.
The meeting concluded with a call to view water as part of the solution rather than the problem in climate change discussions. The participants emphasized the importance of collaborating globally to address water-related challenges in the face of climate change. As the world grapples with the recent extreme weather events, governments are expected to adapt and change their approach, potentially altering the dynamics of future COP negotiations. Ultimately, the meeting highlighted the critical role of water in achieving climate goals and the responsibility of all stakeholders to contribute to meaningful solutions.
If you feel like you missed out and are keen to know more: the presenters generously allowed the link to the recording to be shared with PCT Fellows and Friends and their wider networks. You are at liberty to access and to share the recording HERE.
LUNCH WITH A LEADER SERIES
Perth Lunch with a Leader – Collene Castle, Wonnil Partners, Board of Water Research Australia
By Stacey Hamilton (2018)
On a nice sunny day, WA Fellows (and a future Fellow) and Friends came together with a yarn from Collene Castle, a proud and strong Menang Ngudju Noongar yok (woman) currently Business Partner of Wonnil Partners and the inaugural First Nations person appointed to the Board of Water Research Australia.
Collene spoke to us all about being the daughter of a white man and Noongar yok living in a small country town in the Southwest of Western Australia and her lived experience of racism in her childhood. Collene’s dad worked as a fencing contractor on parts of the Rabbit Proof Fence and recalled memories of the impact the 1905 Act still had on her family in the early sixties. It’s not hard to see how intergenerational trauma is still evident in Indigenous communities to this day due to decisions made by previous governments and the general population allowing it to happen.
In 1976, Collene went on to high school and was given a book showcasing career opportunities and an air hostess was what Collene was interested in. As you can imagine, words of “there’s no such thing as an Aboriginal air hostess” were said by school peers, but the white male career advisor was such a positive role model with words of “you can be whatever it is you want to be”. Words like this showcase how much you can change someone’s life! Collene may not have reached the heights of an air hostess, but she has reached the heights of life and flown around the world (first in her family to be in an airplane) and spoke about a special memory of dandelions and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
Collene’s working life has seen her travel around WA, firstly in Wiluna at the Desert Gold Orchid run by the Martu people, before heading to the Broome Peninsula and then becoming a public servant in Geraldton at Homeswest before finally landing at Water Corporation to finish her career. The impact Collene had at the Corporation is evident from the number of Indigenous employees growing from 45 to 205 and creating our Yesterday – Today – Tomorrow Aboriginal Engagement Strategy. Reconciliation is in Collene’s DNA which is transforming companies with Reconciliation Action Plan journeys as well as influencing decision makers and creating protocols for Aboriginal research as part of the Water Research Australia board.
There were a lot of open, honest questions to Collene, including the current topic of the Voice Referendum and I think the whole lunch can be summarised by the answer to one question about courage. As Collene answered – if not me, then who?
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Fellows move about a good deal; here are some career updates:
Dr Christobel Ferguson (2014)
Christobel recently commenced a new role as Technical Resilience Lead for Resilient Sydney (hosted by the City of Sydney.
The Resilient Sydney Office (hosted by the City of Sydney) is developing the second Resilient Sydney strategy. This successful collaboration program brings together all 33 local governments of Greater Sydney to build the capacity and capability of local government and other organisations in Sydney, so the city is better placed to survive, adapt and thrive in the face of acute shock events and chronic stresses.
The second strategy will build on the success of the Resilient Sydney Strategy 2018 and build on the risk assessment methodology developed by the 100 Resilient Cities program. To develop the strategy Resilient Sydney will be conducting resilience risk assessment workshops and undertaking extensive and targeted community engagement to inform the new strategy and derive programs and actions. Resilient Sydney 2025 – 2030 will be developed over the next 12 months with the intention to launch the final strategy in late 2024.
If you’d like to connect with Christobel, please reach out to her:
CMFerguson@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au OR 0456 762 503
Where are you now?
Help us to stay connected. Have you had a career change recently?
This is an invitation for all Fellows to update us on your current roles, titles, preferred emails, contact details etc. Please share your details with Lesley Ryall, Fellows Network Coordinator, at lesley@petercullentrust.com.au
5. Diary Dates
PCT EVENTS
- 18 October – Law and Lore: unpacking the challenges we face in water law, policy and collective wisdom in the face of a changing climate. Fellows and Friends Event – click HERE for details.
- 15-17 November – Graduation Week – Brisbane. Fellows, Friends and Invited Guests – click HERE for details.
- 15 November – Peter Cullen Lecture – Public Event.
- 16 November – 2022 Women in Water RRR; Fellows Professional Development Day; 2023 Leadership Program (Women) Graduation
- 17 November – Fellows Networking Breakfast
PCT PROGRAMS
- 15 October – 2024 Leadership Program – Applications CLOSE. Click HERE for details.
- 2 November – 2023-24 WSAA Young Utility Leaders – Workshop 2, South Australia
- 12-17 November – 2023 Leadership Program (Women) – Session 2, Queensland
PCT GOVERNANCE
- 24 October – PCT Business Development and Philanthropy Committee Meeting
- 1 November – PCT Audit, Finance and Risk Committee Meeting
- 17 November – PCT Board Meeting
GLOBAL
- 11 October – Public Webinar – Restoring Our Rivers Bill 2023. Click HERE for details and to register.
- 16 – 22 October 2023 – National Water Week – United by Water
- 28 Feb – 1 March 2024 – Connected by Water, Perth
CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS
Connected by Water 2024 – 28 February-1 March
The inaugural Connected by Water conference will be held in Perth in early 2024, bringing together a national and international audience to discuss sustainable water management in the West. The bi-annual Young Water Professionals conference is combined with Connected by Water, offering a unique opportunity for the sector’s YWPs to reach a broader audience.
Australia New Zealand Geomorphology Group Conference, 2024 – 12-16 February 2024
The ANZGG Conference for 2024 will be held February 12th-16th in Gisborne, New Zealand. The conference theme is Geomorphic Disturbance and Recovery. Abstract submissions are open, and close on November 1st 2023. Early-bird registration closes on November 15th 2023.
There are THREE conference field-trips planned, one during the conference included in the registration fee, and two two-day trips on each side of the conference (temporally and spatially) which are at an additional cost.
Please click HERE for full conference details.
6. Across the Sector
Professional Opportunities
Chief Executive Officer, Peter Cullen Trust
Our CEO, Darryl Day, has chosen to complete his time at the helm of the Peter Cullen Trust in January 2024, at the end of his contract.
As a result, the Trust is undertaking a nation-wide search for a highly motivated, collaborative, and entrepreneurial executive to lead the organisation through its next stage of development.
Enquiries and applications are welcome until Friday 13 October 2023.
For further information click HERE.
Department for Environment and Water, SA
The Surface Water team within the Water and River Murray Division of the Department for Environment and Water (DEW) undertakes a wide variety of hydrological work spanning operations, policy and planning, and more. The team undertakes hydrological investigations, assessments and modelling across South Australia and the Murray-Darling Basin to provide advice on management of the State’s surface water resources and the State’s position in the Murray-Darling Basin. We are a small, friendly team offering a range of opportunities to develop and exposure to a wide variety of interesting projects. Please get in touch if you’d like to find out more.
PO2 Hydrologist job ad:
https://iworkfor.sa.gov.au/page.php?pageID=160&windowUID=0&AdvertID=739969#brs_jbcontent
Closing date: 13 October 2023
Contact for further information:
Claire Sims, Principal Hydrologist, DEW (claire.sims@sa.gov.au) or David Way, Surface Water team manager (david.way@sa.gov.au).
Great Artesian Basin Stakeholder Advisory Committee
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water is seeking applications from First Nations individuals who have a strong connection with, or a good understanding of, groundwater matters in the Great Artesian Basin (GAB) to join the Great Artesian Basin Stakeholder Advisory Committee.
Expressions of Interest close 15 October 2023.
Please click HERE for further information.
Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Water Interests
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water is seeking Expressions of Interest for members, and subject matter experts, for the Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Water Interests. As part of the EOI process, a pool of suitable applicants will be established to fill future vacancies (the merit list will be active for 12 months).
Applications Close: 22 October 2023
For further information, click HERE.
7. Interesting Stuff
Articles, Publications and Presentations
Are Murray-Darling Basin rivers getting the water they need to stay healthy?
From Dr Jamie Pittock, Friend of the Trust
The Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists has released a new assessment. Under the Water Act 2007, governments are now required by law to ensure water extraction in the Murray-Darling Basin does not compromise ecosystems that depend on freshwater flows. The Wentworth Group has assessed the extent to which the Murray-Darling Basin’s rivers have received the flows they need to stay healthy.
The Group’s findings showed that while some improvements have been observed in the decade since the Basin Plan was enacted, most flow requirements we assessed were not achieved, with implications for the health of the Basin’s rivers, ecosystems, and communities. The Wentworth Group makes recommendations to enhance water management for the health of the Murray-Darling Basin in a changing climate.
The study on which these recommendations are based is currently in review at the journal, Marine & Freshwater Research. A pre-print of the manuscript is available at ResearchGate.
