As such, the Peter Cullen Water and Environment Trust aims to contribute to a world where water and the environment are managed sustainably and equitably by bridging the gap between science, people and the environment through cultivating meaningful conversations and capacity building.

To achieve this vision, change of a transformational nature is required – a kind of change that is non-linear, complex, iterative and systems driven. Our approach to achieving change in this complex world is through creating simplicity out of complexity – based on the legacy of Peter Cullen who was renowned for taking complex ideas and translating them in ways that were understandable and practical whilst simultaneously taking nothing away from the complex nature that is water management in Australia today.

Here at the Trust, we believe that our vision for a sustainably and equitably managed environment can only be achieved when we respect Australia as a living continent; when science effectively influences policy; when all stakeholders collaborate in participatory and equitable conversations; when our leaders take responsibility for the decisions made about the future of our natural world.

To this end, the Peter Cullen Water and Environment Trust is about creating safe environments for the conversations that matter, to take place; we’re about building our future leaders to think with a collaborative mindset; we’re about connecting people together, people who are thinking and acting with systems approaches to complexity.

And of course here at the Trust we will evaluate and measure and adapt as we go along – learning, reflection and adaptation are key to achieving transformational change.

This is our Theory of Change – put quite simply:  if the capacities of future leaders are built, and if these leaders think & act with a collaborative mindset, and if these leaders use science to inform policy, we may just end up with a world where our water resources & environment are managed more equitably & sustainably. Perhaps. Just maybe.