The 2026 Peter Cullen Lecture – delivered by Dr Emma Carmody
AN INVITATION
The 2026 Peter Cullen Lecture – delivered by Dr Emma Carmody, South Australia’s River Murray Commissioner and PCT Fellow
The prestigious Peter Cullen Lecture is jointly presented by the University of Canberra, Griffith University and the Peter Cullen Trust. It showcases the profound legacy of Professor Peter Cullen AO and seeks to advance and call for action on critical issues in water and environmental management.
First held in 2008, many significant contributors to the water and environment sector have graced the stage.
In 2026 we are proud to announce that Dr Emma Carmody (Fellow, 2013) will deliver the Peter Cullen Lecture at The Shine Dome this November. The Lecture is open to Fellows, Friends, supporters and the public.
Event Details
Date: Wednesday 11th November 2026
Time: 6.00pm – 8.00pm (arrival 5.45pm, 7.00-8.00 Drinks and canapes)
Venue: Ian Wark Theatre and the Jaegar Room, The Shine Dome, National Science Academy, ACT
Dress: Business attire
To Register: Attendance is free; please REGISTER HERE to assist us with catering.
THIS IS A PUBLIC EVENT PRESENTED BY
This year will focus on what it means to give rivers voice, through the lens of one of the Trust’s key principles – speaking truth to power. This was Peter Cullen’s mantra and Dr Carmody’s work as South Australia’s River Murray Commissioner is strongly aligned with both the principle and the practice.
Dr Emma Carmody is an international environmental lawyer and environmental entrepreneur with particular expertise in wetlands, freshwater and the intersection between human rights and water. She is a PCT Fellow (2013).
Emma has a rich history of advising international organisations, treaty bodies, First Nations peoples, farmers, large conservation groups and community groups in Australia and globally.
She served as sole Legal Advisor to the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention Wetlands for 5 years (2017-2022), a position which required her to advise during complex multilateral negotiations between nation states, as well as intersessionally.
Dr Carmody is highly regarded as an expert on the environmental challenges facing the Murray-Darling Basin and the legal frameworks governing water use within it. Her recent appointment as the SA River Murray Commissioner will be crucial for the reviews of the Basin Plan and the Water Act 2007 – helping to engage with key stakeholders across the basin and providing independent advice to the State Government.
The 2026 Peter Cullen Lecture will be co-hosted by Trust Chair Professor Emerita Cynthia Mitchell AO; Professor Fiona Dyer, Executive Dean (Interim), Professor in Water Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Canberra and PCT Fellow; and Griffith University’s Professor David Hamilton, Institute Director, Australian Rivers Institute.
The 40-minute presentation will be followed by facilitated Q&A, and guests are invited to join our speaker and hosts for drinks and canapes from 7.00pm.
