Sustainable Australia

The future of our Climate, Natural Resources and the Environment

SUSTAINABLE AUSTRALIA 2012

SUSTAINABLE AUSTRALIA 2012

sustainable 2012 print 84pp plus cover.indd 1 26/02/12 12:22 PM

It’s about sustainable solutions now and for the future

Our masters degrees focus on vital contemporary issues in engineering, and feature strong elements of sustainability, project management and leadership.

They foster career development and creative thinking for long-term global solutions.

Engineering masters degrees are available in the areas of: Engineering Engineering Management Engineering (Power Generation) – industry sponsored Engineering (Railway Infrastructure) – industry sponsored Infrastructure Management Project Management

An alternative entry pathway to these masters exists through the Graduate Certificate in Built Environment and Engineering.

Choose from four study specialisations with our new Masters of Engineering degree: Sustainable Energy, Mechanical, Transport and Electrical.

For more information about our masters degrees or how to apply for our July 2012 intake, please phone (07) 3138 8822, email [email protected] or visit www.qut.edu.au/engineering.

BEE-12-316 ©QUT 2012 18467

Kristiane Davidson, real QUT graduate.

TRAINING future leaders to manage Queensland’s resources boom while developing sustainable energy sources will be among the top priorities for Queensland University of Technology’s (QUT) new Science and Engineering Faculty.

Two former university faculties officially merged at the start of 2012, opening up new research, teaching and learning opportunities for QUT students and staff.

Science and Engineering Faculty Executive Dean Professor Martin Betts said the new faculty would have the expertise to tackle some of the world’s most pressing issues.

“The new faculty gives us the advantages of scale and having interdisciplinary connections across science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM),” he said.

“It will also help QUT identify opportunities across science and engineering for new courses and new research offerings to meet the challenges the world faces in 2012 and beyond.

“We’ve got a great team of people across the faculty to make QUT’s aspirations of becoming the leading university in the STEM area a reality.”

The Science and Engineering Faculty will be home to 8000 students, 400 academic staff and 900 higher degree research students.

Professor Betts said Queensland’s booming resources sector would fuel greater demand for scientists, engineers and planners to manage the state’s natural resources responsibly.

“We need to find new ways of stimulating oil and gas reserves while managing the effects of these industries on water and land,” he said.

Professor Betts said the introduction of a carbon tax in Australia also would increase the importance of developing clean technology, products and services to manage water, land, air and infrastructure.

He said the Science and Engineering Faculty would focus on “green chemical engineering” to meet demands in this new industry.

The new faculty will be based at the Gardens Point campus, along with the

$230 million Science and Engineering Centre, which opens later this year.

Construction of the centre began in mid-2011 after months of detailed planning, demolitions and massive earthworks, with the steel roof on the main structure topped off early in the year.

When construction finishes, the centre will feature two major new buildings linked by public green space, and facilities including cooperative research laboratories, technology-rich social learning spaces, a 50-metre swimming pool and gym, and food and retail areas.

QUT is Queensland’s first university to be awarded a 5 Star Green Star - Design Education v1 certified rating from the Green Building Council of Australia.

The 45,000sqm development includes an 800kW tri-generation system to cool, heat and power the facility, 200kW solar panels and a green garden roof-top terrace over the pool.

The Science and Engineering Centre will be home to QUT’s newest research institute, the Institute for Future Environments. It will incorporate outstanding laboratories and facilities, including visualisation technology for showcasing research and educational content in public areas of the main building.

The centre will also feature a world class analytical facility and central laboratory capacity to support research.

Visit www.qut.edu.au/sci-eng-centre for more information about QUT’s Science and Engineering Centre.

Or to find out more about QUT’s Science and Engineering Faculty please visit www.qut.edu.au/science-engineering.

QUT’s new Science and Engineering Centre will open later this year

New QUT faculty for a new era

“Queensland’s booming resources sector would fuel greater demand for scientists, engineers and planners to manage the state’s natural resources responsibly”


It’s about sustainable solutions now and for the future

Our masters degrees focus on vital contemporary issues in engineering, and feature strong elements of sustainability, project management and leadership.

They foster career development and creative thinking for long-term global solutions.

Engineering masters degrees are available in the areas of: Engineering Engineering Management Engineering (Power Generation) – industry sponsored Engineering (Railway Infrastructure) – industry sponsored Infrastructure Management Project Management

An alternative entry pathway to these masters exists through the Graduate Certificate in Built Environment and Engineering.

Choose from four study specialisations with our new Masters of Engineering degree: Sustainable Energy, Mechanical, Transport and Electrical.

For more information about our masters degrees or how to apply for our July 2012 intake, please phone (07) 3138 8822, email [email protected] or visit www.qut.edu.au/engineering.

BEE-12-316 ©QUT 2012 18467

Kristiane Davidson, real QUT graduate.

TRAINING future leaders to manage Queensland’s resources boom while developing sustainable energy sources will be among the top priorities for Queensland University of Technology’s (QUT) new Science and Engineering Faculty.

Two former university faculties officially merged at the start of 2012, opening up new research, teaching and learning opportunities for QUT students and staff.

Science and Engineering Faculty Executive Dean Professor Martin Betts said the new faculty would have the expertise to tackle some of the world’s most pressing issues.

“The new faculty gives us the advantages of scale and having interdisciplinary connections across science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM),” he said.

“It will also help QUT identify opportunities across science and engineering for new courses and new research offerings to meet the challenges the world faces in 2012 and beyond.

“We’ve got a great team of people across the faculty to make QUT’s aspirations of becoming the leading university in the STEM area a reality.”

The Science and Engineering Faculty will be home to 8000 students, 400 academic staff and 900 higher degree research students.

Professor Betts said Queensland’s booming resources sector would fuel greater demand for scientists, engineers and planners to manage the state’s natural resources responsibly.

“We need to find new ways of stimulating oil and gas reserves while managing the effects of these industries on water and land,” he said.

Professor Betts said the introduction of a carbon tax in Australia also would increase the importance of developing clean technology, products and services to manage water, land, air and infrastructure.

He said the Science and Engineering Faculty would focus on “green chemical engineering” to meet demands in this new industry.

The new faculty will be based at the Gardens Point campus, along with the

$230 million Science and Engineering Centre, which opens later this year.

Construction of the centre began in mid-2011 after months of detailed planning, demolitions and massive earthworks, with the steel roof on the main structure topped off early in the year.

When construction finishes, the centre will feature two major new buildings linked by public green space, and facilities including cooperative research laboratories, technology-rich social learning spaces, a 50-metre swimming pool and gym, and food and retail areas.

QUT is Queensland’s first university to be awarded a 5 Star Green Star - Design Education v1 certified rating from the Green Building Council of Australia.

The 45,000sqm development includes an 800kW tri-generation system to cool, heat and power the facility, 200kW solar panels and a green garden roof-top terrace over the pool.

The Science and Engineering Centre will be home to QUT’s newest research institute, the Institute for Future Environments. It will incorporate outstanding laboratories and facilities, including visualisation technology for showcasing research and educational content in public areas of the main building.

The centre will also feature a world class analytical facility and central laboratory capacity to support research.

Visit www.qut.edu.au/sci-eng-centre for more information about QUT’s Science and Engineering Centre.

Or to find out more about QUT’s Science and Engineering Faculty please visit www.qut.edu.au/science-engineering.

QUT’s new Science and Engineering Centre will open later this year

New QUT faculty for a new era

“Queensland’s booming resources sector would fuel greater demand for scientists, engineers and planners to manage the state’s natural resources responsibly”


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contents5 Foreword: James Cameron, National Water Commission

6 The challenge of sustainable water management in Australia James Cameron, National Water Commission

Implementing water reform and achieving sustainable water management in Australia is a challenging, resource intensive and complex task.

12 There’s no such thing as zero impact energy Professor Gus Nathan, Director, Centre for Energy Technology,

University of Adelaide The nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in 2011 caused some to question the impact of various power generation sources on our environment and lifestyles.

16 Sustainable buildings and homes Lucy Hall and Caitlin McGee, Institute for Sustainable Futures, UTS The built environment contributes directly to some of the greatest

sustainability challenges we face, including climate change, biodiversity loss, resource depletion and social inequity.

24 Waking the dreamer Phil Harrington Dreams have made an end of climate policy in Australia. An end of climate

activism too, for a time.

35 Australia’s minerals future Leah Mason, Senior Research Consultant, Institute for Sustainable Futures, UTS

In 2011, the issues surrounding Australia’s mineral future are complex, requiring broad and ongoing discussion among all stakeholders to reframe problems, find solutions and identify the opportunities that change will bring.

44 Extreme weather and the Great Barrier Reef Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority The summer of 2010-11 brought unprecedented weather conditions to

Queensland. Cyclone Yasi was one of the most powerful cyclones to have affected the Great Barrier Reef since records commenced, while South East Queensland experienced intense rainfall, up to 400 per cent higher than normal.

62 Following the floods That Australia is a land of droughts and flooding rains has truly been

demonstrated in the Murray–Darling Basin system over the past year.

70 First Peoples’ Water Management Council Phil Duncan, Chair, First Peoples’ Water Engagement Council Phil Duncan is the Chair of the National Water Commission’s recently

established First Peoples’ Water Engagement Council.

76 The Peter Cullen Trust How the Peter Cullen Trust can benefit you

82 Company Profiles

DesignAlan Shearer

Stock images Shutterstock

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DisclaimerBlack Hawk Publishing Pty Ltd is not committed to nor takes responsibility for the views expressed in articles or

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Driving water reform in Australia

Managing our water more effectively is one of the enduring challenges facing Australia. The National Water Commission is responsible for driving national water reform under the National Water Initiative - Australia’s blueprint for how water will be managed into the future.

National imperatives for water management include more effective water planning to determine how we share valuable water resources between competing uses, protection of significant environmental assets, expansion of water markets, and improved security of water supplies and entitlements.

The Commission provides independent, evidence-based advice to the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) and the Australian Government on national water issues. It also exerts leadership through the release of influential reports and through engagement with government agencies, research collaborators, industry partners and other stakeholders.

• In September 2011, the Commission released its most important assessment of water reform outcomes by reviewing the impact of the National Water Initiative. Drawing on its findings, the Commission made 12 major recommendations to COAG to reinvigorate the water reform agenda. Over the past year, the Commission delivered other independent assessment reports to COAG, notably its second Assessment of progress against Water Management Partnership Agreement reform actions and an inaugural National Water Planning Report Card 2011.

• Through its transparency reports, the Commission has worked to provide more accessible water market information and shine a light on water industry performance and accountability.

• The Commission initiates strategic analysis and undertakes public advocacy to catalyse action on specific water issues where there are emerging opportunities and risks. In this thought leadership capacity, a series of reports have charted a more coherent approach to reform in urban water. Water management issues associated with mining and the production of Coal Seam Gas have been flagged, and the Commission has directly supported greater recognition of the water interests of Indigenous people.

• The Commission has also invested more than $246 million in projects to improve water management practice and decision-making by developing capacity, building skills, providing practical tools, and supporting science and innovation.

Sustainable water management remains a critical challenge that will continue to demand national leadership, independent assessments, expert advice and adequate resourcing.

For more information visit: www.nwc.gov.au



Driving water reform in Australia

Managing our water more effectively is one of the enduring challenges facing Australia. The National Water Commission is responsible for driving national water reform under the National Water Initiative - Australia’s blueprint for how water will be managed into the future.

National imperatives for water management include more effective water planning to determine how we share valuable water resources between competing uses, protection of significant environmental assets, expansion of water markets, and improved security of water supplies and entitlements.

The Commission provides independent, evidence-based advice to the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) and the Australian Government on national water issues. It also exerts leadership through the release of influential reports and through engagement with government agencies, research collaborators, industry partners and other stakeholders.

• In September 2011, the Commission released its most important assessment of water reform outcomes by reviewing the impact of the National Water Initiative. Drawing on its findings, the Commission made 12 major recommendations to COAG to reinvigorate the water reform agenda. Over the past year, the Commission delivered other independent assessment reports to COAG, notably its second Assessment of progress against Water Management Partnership Agreement reform actions and an inaugural National Water Planning Report Card 2011.

• Through its transparency reports, the Commission has worked to provide more accessible water market information and shine a light on water industry performance and accountability.

• The Commission initiates strategic analysis and undertakes public advocacy to catalyse action on specific water issues where there are emerging opportunities and risks. In this thought leadership capacity, a series of reports have charted a more coherent approach to reform in urban water. Water management issues associated with mining and the production of Coal Seam Gas have been flagged, and the Commission has directly supported greater recognition of the water interests of Indigenous people.

• The Commission has also invested more than $246 million in projects to improve water management practice and decision-making by developing capacity, building skills, providing practical tools, and supporting science and innovation.

Sustainable water management remains a critical challenge that will continue to demand national leadership, independent assessments, expert advice and adequate resourcing.

For more information visit: www.nwc.gov.au

In looking towards a sustainable Australia, the Australian State of the Environment 2011 (SOE) report provided a comprehensive, independent review of all elements

of our environment, encompassing climate change, air quality, land, water and marine resources, biodiversity and our built environment.

This publication, tabled in Parliament in December 2011, set out headlines for decision makers to support more sustainable use and effective conservation of environmental assets. Many of these headlines accord with the findings and recommendations of the National Water Commission in its 2011 assessment of the impact of the National Water Initiative and current challenges for water use in Australia.

Both reports concluded that our environment is a national issue requiring national leadership and action at all levels, emphasising that effective environmental management requires adequate information and public sector resourcing. Noting that evidence-based decision making and good stewardship of Australia’s water assets rely on robust science and socioeconomic information, the Commission’s report called for a national water science strategy, backed by sufficient investment to deliver the required capacity.

Assessing progress on Australia’s water resources, the Commission’s report found that while actions under the National Water Initiative have made water use more efficient, sustainable and secure, the goal of sustainable water management has not been reached.

The SOE report reiterated this finding: ‘The past decade has been Australia’s most ambitious period of water policy reform. All states and territories have now committed to the principles of the National Water Initiative. This commitment includes providing secure water for sustaining the environment.’

However, the SOE report concluded that meeting our water needs remains a critical challenge. Its findings echo the Commission’s concerns given the increasing pressure on this resource driven by growing population, new development and Australia’s vulnerability to climate change.

Both reports also sound a warning on the need to maintain efforts to recover water for the environment in parts of Australia where current levels of extraction are contributing to environmental degradation, especially in dry times. Achieving a sustainable level of extraction is key to restoring those water systems and delivering an optimal balance of economic, social and environmental outcomes.

The SOE report also noted the Commission’s call for more effective engagement with Indigenous Australians in water planning processes including consideration of cultural flows and Indigenous access to the consumptive pool for economic development.

It is clear then that to achieve a sustainable Australia will continue to demand strong leadership in the face of difficult decisions to balance economic, social and environmental objectives, and to nourish real engagement with communities.

To quote the SOE report’s final headline ‘Australians cannot afford to see themselves as separate from the environment.’

James CameronCEO, National Water Commission

INDUSTRY FOREWORD



Establishing an effective management regime carries significant

implications for every Australian – in terms of our quality of life, our economic outcomes and the environment in which we live.

However, recent welcome rains across Australia have abated some of the public concern about water security and the urgency felt during the early years of the implementation of the National Water Initiative, Australia’s blueprint for water reform, has dissipated.

This is despite the fact that new frontiers are being opened, including the rapid growth of new industries impacting on water resources, which demonstrate that managing the contest between different users

of water is as confronting as ever.

Increased climate variability and the inevitable return to drought also highlight the crucial need to maintain the course on water reform.

It was against this background that the National Water Commission recently conducted its third biennial assessment of the implementation of the National Water Initiative.

This assessment was special because it was not just an assessment of reform progress, but also an assessment of the impact of the National Water Initiative itself.

The Commission found that water reform under the initiative has been worthwhile and the benefits tangible.

However, the going has been hard in places

and not everything has been achieved that was anticipated when the initiative was agreed in 2004.

The Commission found that the approach spelled out in the initiative is fundamentally sound but we need renewed leadership, a more mature water management agenda and a focus on our national arrangements to make it all happen.

The Commission’s report sets out what has been achieved in water management and puts forward a potential roadmap of 12 recommendations to build on and reinforce these achievements.

THE RIGHT FRAMEWORK The National Water Initiative gave Australia for the first time a nationally agreed, coherent set of principles and reform actions for

water to achieve optimal economic, social and environmental outcomes.

The Commission found that the initiative remains robust and relevant and a focal point for water reform nationally. It provides clear direction for governments and for water users.

The initiative is recognised globally as a model for good water governance, for addressing the challenges of cross-jurisdictional management of shared resources, and for harnessing the power of markets and price signals to encourage efficient water use and investment.

PROGRESS There is good progress in many areas of water reform with tangible benefits to individual water users, to communities and to the environment.

James Cameron, CEO, National Water Commission

THE CHALLENGE OF SUSTAINABLE WATER MANAGEMENT IN AUSTRALIA Implementing water reform and achieving sustainable water management in Australia is a challenging, resource intensive and complex task.



In rural Australia, water users in most jurisdictions have a more secure and tradeable water asset, and environmental water needs are better recognised in law and in water plans.

Water trading has become a vital tool for many irrigators in responding to variable water availability and other market factors. Markets have produced positive economic gains at the community, regional and national levels.

Our cities and towns have more certain water supplies because water use is more efficient and sustainable. Major capital investments have improved the security of water supply by bringing online additional supply options.

Through improved governance, there is now a better understanding of the rules, roles and responsibilities of the people and institutions involved in water management.

Significant investment has been made in improving how we account for water, in metering water use, and in the science behind water decision making.

Pricing and institutional reforms have also been beneficial.

DISAPPOINTMENTS On the other side of the ledger, there are some borderline results and even fails.

Many important actions are not complete, partially because the reforms are ambitious and complex.

Drought has distracted and complicated the implementation effort and masked some of the results.

Political commitment and leadership have been variable, and bureaucratic processes have been slow and often obscure.

Historically high levels of investment in water management and

infrastructure have not always been well aligned with reform objectives.

Meanwhile, community confidence has been damaged by delays in delivering on commitments, by inconsistent implementation and by less than adequate involvement of affected communities.

SUSTAINABLE WATER MANAGEMENT Environmental outcomes are not as clearly demonstrated as economic outcomes.

There is welcome progress in the development of environmental water management institutions and the recovery of water for environmental needs.

However, ad hoc government interventions have undermined the security of water for rivers and wetlands.

Accountability for environmental outcomes remains weak.

In particular, monitoring capacity is often inadequate, and plans still lack the science to link environmental watering with ecological outcomes.

Nevertheless, the planning cycle continues and generally new plans are more soundly based than older ones.

In its 2009 biennial assessment the Commission found insufficient progress towards the core commitment of the National Water Initiative – tackling over-use and over-allocation. Regrettably, this position has not improved.

The commitment to make substantial progress by 2010 in adjusting all overallocated or overused water systems to sustainable levels of extraction has not been met.

Nowhere is addressing this issue more of a challenge

‘Political commitment and leadership have been variable, and bureaucratic processes have been slow

and often obscure.’



than in the Murray-Darling Basin where the implementation of the Basin Plan provides an opportunity to achieve a step change in sustainable water management.

Attaining a basin-wide plan to guide long-term performance is a substantial institutional, political and social challenge.

Successful reform will depend on real leadership from all Basin governments and active involvement by Basin communities to focus on the long-term public interest.

Our report identifies other key areas that are still to be implemented effectively. These areas include

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addressing the inclusion of Indigenous values and economic development in water plans; unregulated interception; finishing the job in pricing and economic regulatory reform; continuing to put in place the metering, compliance and enforcement capacity needed to ensure confidence in our licensing systems; and fully implementing the commitments regarding groundwater /surface water connectivity.

PRESCRIPTION FOR THE FUTURE The approach spelled out in the National Water Initiative is fundamentally sound but we need renewed leadership to set goals and

visions, to communicate the benefits of reform and to make the difficult trade-offs that are in the long-term public interest.

Urban water reform commitments in the National Water Initiative were limited. The Commission has therefore proposed a coherent urban reform plan for this increasingly complex and diverse sector.

Changes in water use driven by broader economic developments and government policies have led the Commission to recommend a new focus on aligning policy frameworks for water management and related areas such as mining and climate change

mitigation and adaptation.

There are also significant opportunities for better coordination between water and natural resource management.

Maintaining the momentum of reform demands effective mechanisms to make it all happen.

Accordingly, governments should take a more strategic approach to the reform work program and to the reporting requirements that operate under the auspices of COAG.

Also critical is a national, strategic and coordinated approach to planning and funding science to support water planning and

management in the most efficient manner.

CONCLUSION As a consequence of the National Water Initiative, water in Australia is managed better than it was in 2004. But there is still a distance to go.

Getting there will require a determination to be in it for the long haul; a willingness from all involved to work cooperatively in the national interest.

The prospect of increased climate variability, new demands on the resource and an inevitable return to drought make sustainable management of Australia’s water an enduring national imperative.

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‘Maintaining the momentum of reform

demands effective mechanisms to make it all

happen.’



ENVIRONDATA WEATHER STATIONS PTY LTD IS THE AUSTRALIAN AUTOMATIC WEATHER STATION SPECIALIST. DESIGNING AND MANUFACTURING WEATHER STATIONS, DATA LOGGERS AND WEATHER SENSORS SINCE 1982, WE OFFER PROFESSIONAL WEATHER MONITORING SOLUTIONS.

Environdata manufactures and supplies integrated weather stations, custom-built modular weather stations, logging rain gauges and suites of weather sensors and convertors that will help your site to meet environmental licence conditions and Australian Standards. Unlike the rest, we design and build all parts of the Weather Station, from the Data Logger and sensors to the masts, brackets and software. You can rely on your Environdata Weather Station to fit together and work reliably for you for many years to come!

Environdata’s Weather Maestro is a robust weather station designed to cope with the extreme conditions typically found in mining sites and gas fields across Australia and around the world. The heart of the weather station, the Weather Maestro data logger is available in 6, 10 or 16 channel versions to ensure all your critical weather parameters are monitored.

It features a powerful processor, large on-board memory, and is easily accessed by a range of communication and remote monitoring options, including Next G, SMS, UHF, MODBUS and Ethernet.

The weather sensor array typically includes sensors to measure air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, rainfall, barometric pressure and solar radiation. The Evaporation rate is calculated using the FAO56 Penman equation. The entire modular weather station can be installed using Environdata’s integrated mounting options to meet your specific site and communication requirements.

Weather Station Dust and Gas Drift and Dispersion Tracking ‘AirData’ Vector Analysis firmware calculates the net changes in wind speed and direction every second so that particle and pollutant drift and dispersion can be accurately mapped. The firmware generates wind trajectory data, and facilitates Sigma Theta analysis, the ‘coefficient of dispersion’ which is available as a firmware calculation.

WindRose software provides a convenient way to analyse wind distribution by summarising wind speed and direction data on a weekly, monthly

or custom basis. This gives a simple yet impressive circular graphical summary or a numeric table of percentages of speed and direction combinations.

Weather Station 10 metre Metrological Instrument Mast (IS37) Environdata’s IS37 10 metre mast (standard meteorological height) is engineered to withstand 60m/s (216km/hr) winds. The IS88 designed to withstand 88m/s (316km/hr) winds is also now available! These robust masts can be installed by one person, raised and lowered by the included braked hand winch, and provide the perfect platform for dust or drift & noise monitoring, meeting EPA requirements & Australian Standards.

Servicing & support Environdata technicians perform regular service trips to mines in Queensland and NSW to ensure optimal performance of the stations. Service & Installation visits to SA, WA, VIC and TAS are also a regular feature, while our NT agent keeps Environdata stations in the Territory in tip top shape!

For expert solutions to your weather monitoring needs, please contact us via www.environdata.com.au or 07 4661 4699.

the ideal automatic weather station for mines, gas fields, natural resource management and water management

Weather Maestro



Sustainable Australia 2012 11Sustainable Australia 2012 11



So is there any such thing as “free”, “zero-impact” or “safe” energy?

Unfortunately, the answer is “no”.

But by placing as much emphasis on the path to clean energy as on the goal, with compromise rather than fundamentalism, we can certainly reduce our impact.

Each source of energy requires an investment to extract and each brings environmental impacts. But the magnitude of these costs, impacts and risks vary dramatically from place to place.

This is why there is no “silver bullet”, and why

it’s necessary for society to invest, not only in the development of a wide range of technologies, but also in the assessment of their impacts and how these can be minimised.

The development of new technologies to avoid adverse environmental impacts is as old as human society. The burning of coal was introduced to address the impact of deforestation caused by the use of wood as fuel.

Following the discovery of coal, evolving legislation has driven the development of technologies to mitigate emissions. First smoke (for the London Smog), then carbon monoxide and the oxides of sulphur and nitrogen, and now

carbon dioxide emissions have been regulated over time.

But there are two key differences that make the introduction of legislation to control CO2 much more difficult than that of the other pollutants.

Legislation to control air pollution has historically been driven by the local effects of air pollution, such as smog, which are within the jurisdiction of governments.

In contrast, carbon dioxide has no local effect (indeed we all breathe it out) – it only has a global effect.

Unfortunately, human society is much poorer at addressing global issues, with international bodies

having much weaker governance power than national ones.

And the mitigation of CO2 is more expensive than other pollutants. Of course, the cost of mitigation is still significantly less than the long term cost of doing nothing, but the short term costs lead to significant political barriers.

Hence there is an imperative to find low cost pathways to a cleaner energy future.

Why is there no such thing as zero-impact energy? Because all technologies require resources and energy to manufacture and operate.

This is true whether the technology harvests

Professor Gus Nathan, Director, Centre for Energy Technology, University of Adelaide

THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS ZERO IMPACT ENERGY

The nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in 2011 caused some to question the impact of various power generation sources on our environment and lifestyles.



wind, wave, solar energy, biomass, fossil fuels or uranium. Thermal power stations, which are presently the most efficient and cost effective, produce waste heat.

This results in a trade-off between efficiency and water consumption.

Even wind and wave power have some adverse impacts, notably with noise and impacts on bird populations for wind, and on coastal eco-systems for wave.

And across the energy network, each technology impacts on the others. In our present energy networks, demand is uncontrolled and there are limited opportunities for cost-effective storage. So

the addition of intermittent energy generation will impact adversely on the efficiency and total cost of the generation network.

The complex and coupled nature of energy systems combined with the highly localised differences in costs of clean energy means that, to amend a Buddhist maxim, the path to sustainable energy becomes the goal.

It’s widely accepted that putting a price on carbon dioxide is a key step along this path – to provide an economic driver for it.

Of course, the new technologies needed to support the transition will span the entire energy chain from generation, through distribution to end-use.

However the transition to cleaner sources of energy will take many years and fossil fuels will continue to provide the majority of our energy until at least 2050.

On this basis, another key step in the pathway is the need to replace old and inefficient plants with the most efficient that are available.

A third is the use of hybrids, because it is typically twice as cost-effective to combine renewable and fossil fuels into the same power generator than it is to build and operate two stand-alone generators.

Hybrids reduce cost for the renewable plant, both because they can share infrastructure, such as turbines and condensers,

and also because they can increase the efficiency of the renewable component.

We should also avoid the temptation to think that it is better to build stand-alone renewable plants simply because they have the appearance of being cleaner.

We need to invest wisely in opportunities that give the most cost-effective path to greenhouse mitigation and support local initiatives with good opportunities for growth.

* This article has been reprinted with permission from The Conversation www.theconversation.edu.au



A T-shaped future for water professionals?

In 1973, Horst Rittel and Melvin Webber coined the label ‘wicked problem’ to describe the kind of problem which they argued lies at the heart

of many social and environmental policy questions1 . Such ‘problems’ they argued can only be defined with respect to the sets of solutions which may be used to tackle them and can never be definitively formulated or solved. Both authors realised that in fact, the most challenging aspect of policy-making is that of defining problems, not solving them. As a consequence, being able to facilitate and participate in processes which critically synthesise insights arising from multiple perspectives is vital, and at the heart of the skills set which water professionals must embrace to confront the complex challenges of the 21st century.

We know that the world has already exceeded 7 billion people, and that most of these people now live in urban areas; that the world will experience an overall shortfall between the demand for water and freshwater supplies within the next 20 years as a consequence of this growth and of the spreading affluence of the growing global middle class; that our energy systems require water and our water systems require energy; that the global demand for energy is predicted to grow by 40% within twenty years if not limited by water scarcity first, and; that without whole of water cycle management, urbanisation and population growth will degrade aquatic ecosystems and damage livelihoods. Finally, we know that climate change is driving changes and reductions in water availability across significant areas of Australia and the world.

How can we improve the sustainability of urban living? How can the lives and livelihoods of those in poverty and subject to famine and disease across the world be improved? These, and many other complex societal problems are remarkably resistant to solution.

Dr. Brian S. McIntosh1 & Dr. André Taylor2

1 - Senior Lecturer (Integrated Water Management), International WaterCentre, Brisbane 2 - Leadership Specialist, International WaterCentre, Brisbane




These population and urbanisation driven challenges will define the 21st century and the water profession must be skilled to meet them. The challenges are inter-twined, complex and global – they are wicked and will be difficult to resolve. Business as usual will not be an option in policy, planning or management across water, energy, health, agriculture, urban design or development.

Our ability to respond effectively to these challenges will require water professionals who can provide effective leadership from the project level upwards. More specifically than this though, our ability to respond effectively will hinge on our ability to tackle problems collaboratively as we seek to understand critically and systemically what they are and how they might be resolved.

The kind of professional who fits into this vision will need to be T-shaped. By this we mean that as well as possessing deep specialist disciplinary or functional knowledge (which can be imagined as an ‘I’), such professionals will need to have a broad knowledge of other disciplines, organisational functions and the institutions in which they operate (which can be imagined as the cross bar on a ‘T’) to be able to meaningfully co-construct and resolve wicked problems. Effective water policy and management organisations will then need to be composed of mixtures of I-shaped professionals providing deep, technical and specialist skills, with T-shaped professionals providing integration across functions and disciplines.

At the International WaterCentre (www.watercentre.org) we believe

that effective water leadership will involve the development of T-shaped professionals. For the water sector the shape of the ‘T’ cross-bar will involve the integration of knowledge from the social sciences, the natural sciences, infrastructure and technology, ethics, decision-making process, and from practice to provide core technical and management competencies. Professionals with such knowledge will be able to form judgements about policy, planning or management action on the basis of both evidence and values. Science and engineering alone will not be enough.

The IWC Masters of Integrated Water Management and Water Leadership Programs have been designed to develop the skills required oftomorrow’s water leaders.

We hope that you will join us.

Postgraduate education: • MasterofIntegratedWaterManagement• GraduateCertificate(WaterPlanning)

Professional development:• WaterLeadershipprogram

Scholarships are available: www.watercentre.org

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EDUCATION|TRAINING|APPLIEDRESEARCH|KNOWLEDGESERVICES

Water leadership for the future

1 Rittel, H.W.J. & Webber, M.M. (1973), Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning, Policy Sciences 4: 155-169.




The Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology,

Sydney has been a leader in developing knowledge and skills in sustainable building practices for over eleven years.

ISF works with the development industry to create commercially viable developments that enhance community wellbeing, conserve precious resources and reduce environmental impact.

We assist the property sector to manage their building portfolios in economically, environmentally and socially responsible ways. We support government to develop

effective and well-targeted policy initiatives for a sustainable built environment.

The landmark comprehensive national guide to sustainable home design and construction; Your Home, was researched, written and produced by the Institute for the Australian Greenhouse Office in the year 2000.

Your Home includes a comprehensive series of technical fact sheets on all aspects of building or renovating sustainably, and case studies of sustainable housing from around Australia. Whilst Your Home’s primary target audience is designers and builders, it is also popular with the public.

The entire content is available from the Your Home web site at http://www.yourhome.gov.au for free.

With a mission to create change towards sustainable futures, the Institute is particularly interested in how individuals and organizations learn and change. This means that we value active engagement with stakeholders as part of our research. In developing Your Home, ISF conducted research into the best and most effective communication techniques for the project. We interviewed builders, designers and architects from different metropolitan and regional areas throughout Australia to capture

a range of opinions and address issues relevant to all climatic zones. Stakeholder consultation also ensured the information was presented in an accessible and highly usable form. This

Lucy Hall and Caitlin McGee, Institute for Sustainable Futures, UTS

SUSTAINABLEBUILDINGS AND HOMES

The built environment contributes directly to some of the greatest sustainability challenges we face, including climate change, biodiversity loss, resource depletion and social inequity. Growing recognition that ‘business as usual’ is compromising our future has prompted calls for change. Designers, builders and tradespeople need new skills to meet the rising demand for sustainable housing and energy and water efficiency.



effort paid off when Your Home won the Environmental Leadership in Communications award at the 2003 Banksia Environmental Foundation Awards. This award recognises communication that raises public awareness

and understanding of environmental issues and innovations.

Your Home also took out the Housing Industry Association (HIA) GreenSmart Partnership Award indicating the

level of credibility that the guide enjoys amongst practitioners in the building industry.

The success of Your Home inspired two further projects – Your Building on sustainable commercial

buildings and Your Development on sustainable mixed use developments.

Indeed many developers now see the benefit of considering sustainability at the planning stage and the Institute is increasing



its work with mixed use buildings, commercial buildings and precincts.

Institute researchers, in conjunction with Elton Consulting, developed the sustainability strategy for the high profile Central Park urban redevelopment on the Carlton United Brewery site. They identified options for improving sustainability at the site, feasibility investigations for particular options and detailed modelling of energy, water and waste management. A sustainability framework was also developed for the redevelopment of the Harold Park site in Sydney.

The award winning Green Lease guide was produced in 2006 to help tenants to make informed decisions when choosing and designing their offices – choices that will save them money, benefit their employees, enhance their business reputation and reduce their environmental impact. ISF researched and wrote the guide, focusing on the potential of tenant demand to create a more sustainable property sector. The guide received an Australian Property Institute award for innovation and leadership in 2007. Following on from

this success, the Institute developed a short green lease training session for leasing and property management staff at the NSW State Property Authority.

When the Institute moved to its current premises in 2005, we conducted our own sustainable office fit-out to maximise amenity and minimise the environmental impact of its office.

The Institute has developed many targeted training programs to support those wishing to adopt sustainable housing principles and practices. The national Green Living training program for builders was developed for the Master Builders Association. The program is based on exploratory research with builders and is underpinned by the principles of effective learning. It uses interactive, problem-based activities to encourage genuine, personalized learning and skills development.

Your Home showed that there was a great demand for information on sustainable building in an accessible form.

More recently, the Institute helped produce the Trade Secrets – Skills for

the Future series of short online videos that aims to equip regular tradespeople with the basic skills and knowledge they need to adapt to this increasing demand for green practices.

Launched in September 2011, the videos provide clear, practical and visual teaching resources to cover all the ‘must-knows’ for builders, plumbers and electricians who have had little exposure to formal training in sustainable practices.

The content is free to access, and can be watched on either computer or smartphone at www.tradesecrets.org.au. What’s more, trainers can download the videos for use in existing training or Continuing Professional Development courses as topic overviews or discussion starters. Easy-to-read factsheets summarise the most important things to know, with links to further resources and training.

The Institute’s project director, Caitlin McGee explains the challenge presented by this project was to “‘condense all the important ‘need to know’ information into simple, digestible chunks of video

content that would keep viewers engaged”.

The videos were researched and developed by the Institute for Sustainable Futures, in partnership with the Dusseldorp Skills Forum and through consultation with leading industry experts. Funding was provided by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, the NSW Office of Fair Trading and the Kirby Foundation.

To view or access the videos visit the Trade Secrets online portal at http://www.tradesecrets.org.au/

The Institute is keen to raise the bar on what is seen as possible and to pursue opportunities to develop positive precedents for green healthy, livable cities. This may well include smaller, space efficient housing, sustainable housing that responds to changing social needs, urban farming, green roofs and walls, community energy and reduced car dependency.

For more about ISF’s research go to: www.isf.uts.edu.au

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Recently there has been a shift towards more efficient and greener remediation

strategies. At the same time there have been many developments in the range of injectable remedial amendments. Amendment injection has now matured to become an appealing option for cleaning up groundwater contamination at troublesome sites. This is especially prevalent where aggressive remedial actions have become uneconomic or failed to achieve site closure. All too often remedial actions reduce contaminant mass but not concentrations to an adequate level to achieve site closure. In other situations where the primary and secondary sources have been removed but unacceptable dissolved concentrations remain, amendment injection becomes the only viable option.

The remedial amendment injection device (RAID) is the only equipment of its kind in Australia. This, along

with Wavefront PrimawaveTM pulsed injection technology, provides a much more effective delivery mechanism. Coffey Environments (Coffey) possess the only current licenses in Australasia for the technology which has been demonstrated to vastly improve remedial outcomes.

Successful amendment injection requires safe injection of the right quantity and concentrations of the right amendment into the targeted zone and achieving reliable contact between the contaminants of concern and the amendment. Success with amendment injection begins with developing an accurate conceptual site model that characterises critical site parameters including the lithology, hydrogeology and contaminant plume.

Coffey has over 15 years of accumulated experience in the injection of chemical amendments into contaminated groundwater and lithogies and offers this new service, providing a portable system with

NEW TECHNOLOGY AND DELIVERY PROCESS FOR INJECTABLE AMENDMENT PROVES A SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION TO GROUNDWATER AND SOIL CONTAMINATION

Coffey Environments RAID system allows real-time data for groundwater contamination remediation

sustainable 2012.indd 20 27/02/12 11:48 AM


hydraulic technologies, to assist in obtaining reliable dispersion of amendments. Coffey’s (RAID), when coupled with the PrimawaveTM pulsed injection technology can provide time and cost benefits that lead the market, as well as, better control of critical parameters, resulting in higher rates of success and safer injection events.

Benefits of in-situ injection of remedial amendments include:• remediation options to eliminate

persistent / recalcitrant contaminants

• reduced total costs to achieve remediation goals

• shorter time frame to closure of contamination issues

• can eliminate need for expensive excavations

• can be performed in close proximity to buildings / structures

• smaller carbon footprint.

Coffey Environments’ Remediation Engineer, Lyle Carpenter, explains it took knowledge from more than 100 injection projects, and research around the world, to develop a best-of-breed solution for the industry.

“We’ve been investing in improving our system continuously over the last 15 years.

“We became interested in the PrimewaveTM injectable technology when we read case studies of brownfield sites in the US that had a 75% decrease in the number of injection points, saving more than 1 month in the field and more than 40% of the remedial costs.

“This new pulse injection technology along with our mobile RAID system has had incredible results – we have used this over many remediation sites with differing geologies and hydrological characteristics being impacted by contaminants such as petroleum based hydrocarbons, solvent based chlorinated hydrocarbons, and coal-based products including PAH’s.

“We have found a holistic approach to designing the most appropriate, determinant derived injection program for a site, it is critical to achieve great remedial outcomes. “This involves our RAID system, which is essentially a mobile multi-point injection device that allows real-time datasets, and pulsed wave injection technique, for better distribution.

“We have real-time data logging of injection parameters, more accurate, real flow rates and pressure. We can inject into four wells at one time, and

monitor parameters at each point. Ultimately this means an accelerated pathway to closure of ground water contamination issues.

“The pulsed injection technology reduces injection pressure while increasing the radius of injection – improving the oxidant distribution into the ground,” he stated.

Common challenges associated with amendment injection include:• daylighting (injected amendments

coming to the surface), • patchy results or total failure of

injection events (more often than not caused by inadequate contact with contaminants).

Where possible, prior to conducting an injection event, Coffey prefers to conduct appropriate hydrological modelling to predict the mass behaviour of the injectate to assist in preparing the most appropriate injection strategy for the site.

Typically this determines:• optimum number, location and

construction of injection points• amendment selection, volumes and

concentrations into each injection point

• injection pressures and flow rates• suitability for PrimawaveTM pulsed

injection delivery

Pressure pulses for better distribution of amendment



• over-all injection sequencing in terms of controlling plume distribution/dispersion

During injection, Coffey’s RAID system provides multi-point real-time monitoring for injection pressures, flow rates and totalised injectate in addition to ability to monitor water quality, parameter levels, and vapour emissions surrounding the injection points. This data coupled with post injection follow-up monitoring provides key information upon which validated outcomes can be measured and used to confirm achievement of end point remedial objectives.

Projects that were administered with this new technology by researchers analysing key change indicators associated with anaerobic degradation processes, found the biological solutions acted faster and were more effective.

For example in a property site contaminated with hydrocarbon, the researchers found:• Overall, the volumes injected

over a 2 day injection event were eight times greater using Wavefront technology, compared to a normal injection. This was achieved with minimal day-lighting of the oxidant, indicating that Wavefront technology does reduce the chances of oxidant surfacing by improving its delivery into the ground.

• Results of the follow-up Groundwater Monitoring Event (GME) indicated that there was a marked improvement in environmental parameters (DO increased from ~0.5 mg/L to ~4 to 6 mg/L in the injection area) and a significant decrease in hydrocarbon concentrations, confirming that the use of Wavefront technology improved the delivery of the oxidant in the target area and the efficiency of the remediation technique.

PrimeawaveTM wavefront injection head which creates pulsed injections for better distribution of oxidant









coffey.com









coffey.com

Groundwater contamination clean-up practises, particularly at “troublesome” sites can often be aggressive, energy consuming, uneconomic and ultimately do not achieve site closure. Coffey Environments national remediation team provides our clients with a cleaner, more efficient groundwater contamination remediation method.

We have designed a portable remediation amendment injection device (RAID) that is the only equipment of its kind in Australia. Coffey Environments are also the sole supplier of Wavefront PrimawaveTM pulsed injection technology used with RAID and this equipment and technology is operated and supported by our team’s remediation amendment injection experience spanning 15 years.

Contaminated site owners, consultants and drillers across the remediation market can utilise our services, equipment and trademarked technology to remediate sites for the defence, property and industrial sectors including retail service stations, fuel storage sites, dry cleaning site and other industrial sites from small to large in scale.

Benefits of using RAID and PrimawaveTM

There are a number of different remediation technologies and capabilities in the market, Coffey’s RAID and the PrimawaveTM system delivers greener, cleaner injection successes with benefits including: - Greater control - Real-time data collection - Highest degree of safety- Most efficient use of resources to remediate contaminants of concern- Minimal carbon footprint

Our Services

The Coffey Environments team set up and conduct injection events to remediate using this specialised unit and 3 components:

- Remediation Amendment Injection Device (RAID)- Remediation Amendment Injection Experience- Wavefront PrimawaveTM pulsed injection technology

We provide a full pathway to closure, from conceptual site model through to providing the entire injection program and strategy for closure with regulatory bodies. We offer our clients technical support to set-up and operate RAID equipment safely and in accordance with injection program and outcomes pre-determined by our client with our fully integrated package including tanks, hoses, gen-set power and all safety equipment.

LEADING THE REMEDIATION MARKET











coffey.com









coffey.com



Phil Harrington

WAKING THE DREAMER: steampunk and climate policy after carbon pricing

Dreams have made an end of climate policy in Australia. An end of climate activism too, for a time. With its ‘clean energy’ package, Labor has succeeded like the Liberal Party never could in killing the issue of climate change, without solving the problem. They’ve wedged the Liberals and the Greens good, real good. You have to respect dogged, inventive, brilliant politics when you see it. Humanity would do well, if only that would save us.



the easy-won applause of the international community, relieved that at least one amongst their number has made the appearance of an effort. The environmentalists gape like fish out of water, unsure whether to cry or laugh, howl or cheer. The carbon barons (mine owners, mostly) and the self-styled ‘Masters of the Universe’ (financiers) are quietly flipping their carbon credits, sending secret smiles to each other that say, ‘Careful now, they haven’t caught on yet’. And finally the true winners: the Treasury-climate bureaucrats that conceived this strategy in the first place. For they have won the long game – a game where but time and patience are required for the few remaining flaws in the pure, ideological glass of Australia’s climate policy to cure and heal as it slowly cools.

DREAMS? WHAT HAVE DREAMS TO DO WITH CLIMATE POLICY? Collectively, almost consciously, Australia is dreaming. We are dreaming that we live still in a world innocent of climate change. A world in which we are free to burn coal and oil and gas, and to cut down forests and clear the land forever – go West, young man!– thereby propelling our 19th Century economy bravely into the 21st.

Our dreams are steampunk (ask your kids). In these dreams, smokestacks of emissions rise proudly into the skies, bearing upwards our hopes for Progress. Fantastical machines burning coal and belching steam pass overhead. Horseless carriages emerge from clouds of

wonder. Marvels in every shopfront, fizzing with energy. In the hills beyond the city, riches are won from the Earth as fossil fuels and shiny ores. From where, along the back streets at the end of day, happy workers with smiling, grimy faces file home for beer and well earned rest.

Steampunk is a world of future past. The past is safe because we know its future better than ours. We don’t have to live there. Dreaming, we visit the past like aliens, wafting above the streets shrouded in glowing bubbles, noticing the blackened spires and the funny locals, immune to all injury. In our dreams we have security. In our dreams we have power. In our dreams we have mastery over machines and dominion over nature.

If we were to wake, we would see this world for what it is. Steampunk would resolve to scalding steam, hissing like a wild animal in our faces. Smoke and coal soot would tear at our eyes and the backs of our throats in the closeness of fetid streets. And so we choose to sleep, perchance to dream.

Waking the dreamer will not be easy. We do not wish to wake.

OK, BREATHE.....Back to the start. What is Australia’s climate policy in 2012? What sort of future is it taking us to?

The headlines sound impressive. They are meant to. Australia, unlike many developed countries, is putting a price on emissions of carbon to the atmosphere – most of them anyway. At $23/tonne, it’s the highest in the world. Our greenhouse

gas emissions (we are told, but read on) will be 80% below 2010 levels by 2050. True, our target for 2020 remains a modest 5% reduction, contingent (it could go as high as 25%, ‘depending on the scale of global action’) – a safe bet, I fear. But most importantly, we have protected the things that really count – fossil fuel intensive industries, exporters and voters/motorists. These groups are so thoroughly over-compensated for any carbon price impact, that they are very likely to miss the impact altogether. They are meant to. Dreaming.

Fishing, forestry and agricultural producers, responsible for almost 20% of Australia’s emissions, fall outside the scheme. Like the rest of us, however, they will not escape entirely. They will bear some carbon costs indirectly when they purchase (certain) fuels, electricity, materials and services. The transport sector beggars belief. Cars and trucks, that produce the vast majority of the greenhouse gas pollution from this sector, are fully compensated by fuel excise changes, to ensure they face no (new) incentive to reduce their emissions. Heavy vehicles may join the scheme in 2014. Shipping and railways, the least greenhouse polluting of the mechanical transport modes (more on bicycles later), are covered by the scheme from Day 1, putting them at an immediate commercial disadvantage to their higher polluting cousins. Steampunk dreaming.

We should not imagine that the carbon price, the multi-billion dollar compensation package and the 5% reduction

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Let’s start with the political scorecard. The Greens have made themselves accountable for

the Government’s carbon pricing policy, thereby earning the right to bear on their shoulders the cross of the community’s inarticulate fears, along with the loathing of the business lobby and the dependent media (that they ported already). The Liberals are dancing gleefully further and further along the wedge the Government so thoughtfully supplied them with, off at a tangent to reason in the hope of finding a few noisy friends at the edge of society where the wild things are. Meanwhile the Government basks in



target in 2020, are the whole of Australia’s climate policy. No fewer than 44 ‘programs and initiatives’ are listed in the www.cleanenergyfuture.gov.au website, mostly financial compensation measures. There’s even a handy ‘household assistance estimator’, so you can focus on how much money you can get from this package. Who thought up this language? By telling us we need to be compensated, the government teaches us that we are being harmed. I never knew that before I was offered compensation.

From the old days, a few targeted policies hold on at the national level – the Renewable Energy Target (already slated for extinction in 2020, and practically, many years before), a handful of energy efficiency performance standards and labelling requirements, energy efficiency opportunity assessments for big energy users (with strictly voluntary implementation), energy performance targets in the Building Code of Australia, along with many information based measures cheerfully ignored by households and businesses everywhere. Setting aside the information based measures - which at least abide by the Hippocratic oath of ‘first, do no harm’ - these others are the measures that are actually saving large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, generally at negative

cost to society. That is, they leave consumers better off financially while also reducing emissions, generally by avoiding unnecessary and increasingly expensive energy consumption. Some of them have been doing so for many years; some of them for decades. According to the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency (Australia’s Emissions Projections 2010), these measures will quietly achieve a total of 56 million tonnes of abatement in 2012, and 109 million tonnes by 2020, despite modest policy settings that could easily be strengthened. Australians, we are told (by whom? The Treasury-climate bureaucrats, the carbon barons, the Masters of the Universe) fear these measures as unwarranted regulatory intrusions upon our free will, to be suffered with poor grace if at all, and then with the least ambitious policy settings possible. Do you know anyone who believes that? Better still, let’s find a politically-acceptable way to get rid of these imposts altogether, while pretending that we’re doing the right thing. So they did.

In the Canberra parlance, all such measures – that are not the carbon price – are at best ‘complementary measures’, the prima donna’s understudies. As an aside, this carbon pricing scheme does not appear to merit a name,

unlike the ill-fated Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, or CPRS, which created hours of entertainment for those keen to reveal – like in an Ursula Le Guin novel – the scheme’s true name. The Continue Polluting Regardless Scheme was my personal favourite, tipping out the apt but less witty Carbon Pollution Reward Scheme). But what is a complementary measure? How do we define complementarity? Good luck with that: you will not find it in official documentation.

What we do know is that there are now three sets of climate policy measures in Australia: the carbon price, non-complementary measures and complementary measures. The latter two, I will argue, are en route to rapid extinction, except where rescued by some other, non-climate-related justification. The first set (that will only ever hold one measure) has pride of place …even though, if we were unkind, we could point out that it is yet to save a single kilogram of greenhouse gas emissions in Australia or to prove its efficiency or effectiveness. It will have the opportunity to do so, gradually, from 1 July 2012, or rather 2015…provided we don’t change the government first. What it has going for it right now, as we shall discuss below, is a beautiful theory.

The second set of climate policy measures – the non-complementary

measures – is where every policy and measure that is not the carbon price lives until such time as it can be proven, beyond any shred of a doubt (to whom? The Treasury-climate…yes, we’ve got that bit), that it is worthy of elevation to the hallowed status of ‘complementarity’, thereby winning entry to the third set at the right hand of the carbon price. Entry criteria for this exclusive, third set – the complementary measures – seem to be that a non-price market failure can be named to justify even the suggestion of a policy intervention; that it targets a material emission abatement opportunity; that it has the potential to make a material reduction in a significant emission source; that no other measure could do so more efficiently; that it can be conclusively demonstrated that the continued absence of any measure (the essential, business-as-usual counter-factual) will lead to a material loss of welfare; that the measure will not impact on competition, business or consumer welfare or any free trade agreements; that it clears a discount rate of 7% real; and that it can whistle Dixie whilst smiling and hopping up and down on one leg. Well, maybe not all of these criteria are strictly necessary…a 5% real discount rate has been used on rare occasion to justify a climate policy intervention.

So, what is it about the carbon price that means



that it – unlike every other climate policy measure, for which we insist on regulatory impact statements and exhaustive benefit cost analyses – is deemed (by you know who) to be the least cost approach to abatement; the benchmark against which all other measures must shape up or ship out? What is it that enables this half-truth at best to persist in dogma and endless ministerial speeches despite direct contradiction by solid evidence (refer ClimateWorks, or any good abatement supply curve, or the Government’s own publications on numerous energy efficiency measures that show that they do better than negative $23/tonne abated, never mind +$23/tonne abated)? Why have we granted to the carbon price the right to displace these proven, negative-cost measures; to sit in judgement upon their degree of ‘complementarity’; and to cast them aside if they fail to live to up the shadowy criteria it invented for them?

Mostly, it is because carbon pricing rests on a truly beautiful, elegant theory. This theory is known as the Efficient Markets Hypothesis; sometimes known as market liberalism or, because anything with ‘neo’ in front of it sounds much trendier, ‘neo-liberalism’ (none of that old-fashion liberalism here)! This is the view, in short, that free markets,

peopled with independent agents, each armed with perfect information (or near enough), and (of course) sufficient purchasing power, will – provided only that governments do not get in the way – resolve all economic problems in an optimal manner through price-based transactions and price-based transactions alone. It is the view that all problems may be ‘financialised’, thus turning them from something real and quite possibly threatening into a financial abstraction, to be bought and sold (as frequently as possible, on a healthy margin); a derivative. It is the very same theory that brought you the Global Financial Crisis Mks I and II (III is just around the corner), free trade and competition policy. Read about this in John Quiggan’s excellent Zombie Economics (Princeton University Press, 2010). Dreaming.

OK, BREATHE.....I will return in the next section to why it is that the government’s carbon price scheme could spell the end of all other climate policies, and then to what we must do to prevent this. But why should we care about this anyway? What is wrong with a future in which the carbon price signal, as clear and naked as possible, is the sole determinant of how climate-friendly must be our investments and our behaviours? We could talk about ‘optimal

policy’ – the view that a carefully targeted mix of measures, with as many measures as targets, will be more efficient and effective that a single, catch-all policy. But it is not clear that our friends in Canberra see more than one target, more than one thing that must change. So let’s instead project ourselves forward into that carbon-priced world, unobstructed by other measures, complementary or otherwise, like building codes, energy efficiency or renewable energy policies, low-carbon planning schemes, public transport systems, most voluntary abatement efforts by businesses and households, or state and local government emission abatement policies. What does that world look like?

Forced to do all the work – and in a close analogy with monetary policy – the carbon price will be driven much higher than it otherwise would. With the complementary measures brakes taken off, carbon prices will be strongly pro-cyclical, spiking up like Keating’s interest rates when the champagne fizzes over, only to collapse again when the real economy catches up with the price signal. Those actually exposed to the carbon price (not the sheltered ones) will face significant uncertainty as to the future value of emissions savings – so how should I invest today? Perhaps I’ll wait and see. This uncertainty, along

with the lack of abatement by the sheltered ones, will feedback into higher carbon prices again, with those who do pay being hit hard – social equity and economic efficiency be damned. Incentives to abate will be temporary, contingent, and our responses equally short term.

Enter the Masters of the Universe. Sooooo, you face a price risk do you? (hands rolling) We may be able to help you with that.

Eventually, as Keating taught us, price-only based strategies can and will work. When they send prices high enough, when they bite deeply enough into our discretionary and then non-discretionary budgets, when they do enough damage, when they create enough social inequity, when they so completely undermine all other abatement options, they will work. They will bite and bite hard. Then, and not before, those with the cash will trade up to the diesel version of the BMW 4WD, or maybe the hydrogen fuel cell one with twin overhead eco-shafts. In the absence of decent public transport, or efficient housing or sustainable urban design – foregone for the sheer ideological thrill of facing the carbon price signal in its purest, most naked form – the rest of us may elect, of our own free will, to walk or cycle to work. On ya bike, mate!

OK, BREATHE.....And so I



get to the bit where I must be clear (it happens). What exactly is wrong with Australia’s carbon pricing scheme and its ‘clean energy’ packaging? Let me pick out the big three. The rest can wait.

First, the package bears no relation at all to the scientific and physical reality of the unfolding climate emergency. By setting such weak, ineffectual targets, by exhibiting such anti-leadership on the national and global stage, we are lapsing deeply and consciously into denial. We are dreaming this is not at all ‘the critical decade’ (They got that wrong. No really.); that the (hated) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has not named (five years ago now) 2015 as the year in which global greenhouse gas emissions must peak and then start to rapidly fall; that the same IPCC did not say (five years ago now) that developed countries emissions must in fact fall by 80% - 95% by 2050 (really fall, not just be offset, as we’ll discuss next); and that Professor Ross Garnaut, the Government’s own but delightfully wilful greenhouse advisor, has not supported ‘contraction and convergence’ towards a common global carbon budget an order of magnitude less than Australia’s current per-capita emissions. A sustainable global carbon budget in 2050 is something less than 1

tonne/capita; Australia currently sits at 25 tonne/capita. Dreaming.

We are dreaming that it’s OK not to burn coal here but to send it to China instead. Because…they have a different atmosphere over there, as well as funny food, and anyway it keeps the coal unions and the coal barons happy – two birds with one stone age! We are dreaming that ‘clean energy’ means natural gas and ‘clean coal’, because these are not really fossil fuels…well, not very bad ones. Oh, and maybe nuclear as well, because that’s safe too. No really. You won’t find ‘clean energy’ defined in any one of the 18 pieces of legislation that form the clean energy package, by the way. If it were defined, the dreamer would have to wake.

This is hubris. This is humanity thumbing its nose at science, at reason, at logic.

Once, an American seated next to me on an airplane eventually conceded – for I had worn him down mercilessly – “Well, you may be right. We may have to reduce our emissions. And maybe it would be a better world if we did. But it wouldn’t be as much fun.” Oh well, that seals it then – no abatement here, please! No science! We can send countless and nameless (literally) species to extinction with human-induced climate change; do anything, but don’t limit our fun!

I’m also reminded of attending a climate change conference in Sydney, where I happened to sit with a Baptist Minister, listening to a climate scientist rail at society’s unwillingness to accept the science of climate change. “It’s as proven as Darwin’s theory of natural selection”, he thundered in disbelief from his pulpit. The Baptist Minister turned me a knowing eye and smiled sadly.

I digress. Big Problem #2. And a trick question for you – when is an 80% reduction in Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions not an 80% reduction in Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions? A: when it’s 2% instead! I refer you to Treasury’s disarmingly honest (despite its title, and provided you know where to look – go for the technical appendices every time, young man), Low Carbon, Strong Growth: modelling a carbon price (Commonwealth of Australia, 2011). Find this chart (shown below) on page 77:

Study the green line (Australian emissions in the core policy scenario, with carbon pricing). Now, what’s the difference between the value of this curve in 2010 and its value in 2050? It’s not easy to eye-ball, so for the underlying numbers, you can go to Table 5.1, Column 7, Row 5, in that same publication.



You guessed it: 2%. There is a Modelling Update available from Treasury, by the way, which does make some important changes, but this number has resisted all updating. It remains stubbornly at 2%. Let’s be clear what this means: we are being told that Australia’s actual greenhouse gas emissions in 2050 will, if all goes to plan, be just 2% lower by 2050 than they were in 2010. The chart shows them continuing to increase until nearly 2030. Critical decade? I venture to suggest that Australia could save 2% of its emissions tomorrow, simply by turning off the floodlights illuminating the outside of Council toilet blocks all day long, right across the length and breadth of the wide brown land. But no, it seems we need nearly 4 decades to do that.

Back to the chart. Track down the (appropriately) yellowish, brownish line (‘including overseas abatement’) and you will arrive at the magic 80% reduction the government claims. What does this really mean? It means – at best – that while our actual emissions in Australia may fall by 2% by 2050, instead of the 80%-95% called for by the IPCC, someone else’s emissions will have to fall much further, so that we can buy that abatement, and re-emit it here! If they have a target of their own, they’ll have to reduce their emissions even further. I say ‘at

best’, because Oxford University – that rag-tag of left-wing ne’er-do-wells – amongst many others, has demonstrated in case study after case study that most internationally-sourced abatement is not genuine abatement at all. Often the projects that create ‘offsets’ for deserving emitters like Australia to purchase (instead of spending our hard-earned on real abatement, creating real investment and real jobs here), actually generate higher global greenhouse gas emissions.

One scam works like this. You say you were going to build a coal-fired power station, and I’ll say, I’ll sell you a gas-fired one instead! You say, Well thanks very much, and here’s your offsets from the notional difference between my would-be coal emissions and my actual gas emissions. And I say, Thank you very much - now I can go home to Australia and emit to my heart’s content. So, my emissions will stay the same as they were before, while yours go up, because you’re now running that gas-fired power station I sold you and that you weren’t running before. We are both very happy (that’s why we’re being so polite). Dreaming happy.

You’ll be pleased to know I’ve saved the best for last. Big Problem #3. This is how carbon pricing – no, the carbon pricing scheme we’ve been given – undermines precisely

those things we can and must do to fundamentally and structurally change our carbon emissions profile and the cultures, behaviours and incentives that underpin it. It’s my list (you’ve seen it before) that includes all Commonwealth complementary and non-complementary measures, all State climate policies, and all local government climate policies throughout Australia. (If the states weren’t so relieved by this – no longer having to accept any accountability or financial responsibility for carbon abatement – they would run this as a states-rights issue!) More chillingly, the list of measures undermined by this carbon pricing package includes all those measures that we are not yet undertaking, but which we should and must undertake if we are to make that desperately improbable transition to a low carbon, sustainable future. They cannot be justified under this carbon pricing scheme.

It goes like this. Step 1: The Climate Change Authority must, under Part 22, s. 289(2) of the Clean Energy Act 2011, advise the Minister for Climate Change as to what the level of the emissions cap should be in the next period. The cap will apply from 2015 onwards. Step 2: In doing so, the Authority must take into account a range of prescribed factors, such as Australia’s

international obligations and agreements, medium and long term targets and other matters including, the abatement effect of ‘voluntary action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions’. By implication, the Authority is not required to take into account the abatement effect of any other climate policy or measure at any level of government in Australia. Step 3: Assuming the Authority does take into account an abatement effect of voluntary action (an interesting challenge), and that the Minister duly reduces the cap below what it would otherwise have been (a level that will not be transparent and therefore verifiable), then those actions will lead to genuine emissions abatement above and beyond that provided by the cap. Old cap minus voluntary measures equals new lower cap with lower emissions.

Now we can ask, What is the additional, genuine abatement effect of every other climate policy measure, in sectors covered by the carbon pricing scheme? A: Zip. Niet. Rien. Nothing. Why? Because the abatement effect of all those measures will not be additional to the cap. 109 million tonnes of abatement in 2020 down the toilet. Lacking additionality, many of these measures will be scrapped; picked off one by one – Roger Wilkins and the Productivity Commission



have named them already. Those that remain will serve only to create more ‘headroom’ for someone else to emit, while the total level of emissions under the cap will remain precisely the same as before.

The final twist is that all these lower-than-carbon-price abatement measures, the ones we are going to scrap, have the effect of holding down the carbon price, by letting off the emissions pressure-valve and reducing the demand for permits. Scrap them and for any given cap, we will pay a higher price for emissions. Steampunk dreaming.

OK, BREATHE.....So let’s wrap this up (and then retire to the pub).

Am I saying that carbon pricing is a disaster for climate policy? That it has no place at all? No. Am I saying that this carbon pricing package, the nameless one, is a disaster for climate policy? Yes I am. Can it be fixed? Yes. Easily? Yes. Well, if the political will were there… Will that be enough, on its own, to fix this problem? No – nothing like it. But if we don’t get it right, our whole climate policy is undermined, and our future is even more gravely at risk.

So let’s fix the carbon pricing package. Let’s fix it now. Taking the Big Problems in reverse order:

• Amend s.289 (2) of the Clean Energy Act

2011 by adding a new thing that the Climate Change Authority must have regard to in recommending future caps: the new thing is the abatement effect of all existing and expected climate policies and measures by Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments. Yes, this effect will have to be estimated, just as it already will for the abatement effect of voluntary measures. But unlike voluntary measures, regulatory measures like efficiency standards and building codes are measured to within an inch of lives, because we hate them so much. This simple amendment will immediately and forever alleviate Big Problem #3. Recall we have until 2015 to get this right, if we need it, as the problem only arises when we move to the cap. So, no excuses.

• Remove the provision for emitters to acquit up to 50% of their emissions permits in junk bonds…sorry, international permits. Yes, this will mean that we will no longer be dreaming that the cost of abatement is less than it really is. We will have to pay what it actually costs, not a financial fictional based on the time-honoured principle of beggar-thy-neighbour. It will also mean Australia’s climate policy will not rest on the hope that every other country will act with more integrity

than us. Just possibly, Australia putting this right may help discourage others from following our negative lead, and from trying to purchase half of their abatement from a third country, and the third country from trying to purchase half of their abatement from a fourth, and so on until we get the last country and start over again, in a great merry-go-round of self-delusion and failure. It will also mean that instead of sending billions of Australia dollars overseas every year to purchase hot air, we’ll invest in real jobs, real projects and real abatement in our own back yard. Truly shocking. If we did, we would actually begin the transition to a low-carbon economy, instead of pretending that we are doing so. We might even create some intellectual property– the real currency of the post-carbon world – along the way, by learning how to reduce emissions other than by shuffling paper. Zappo Big Problem #2!

• Big Problem #1. Set a real target for 2020. And for 2015. And for 2013. Illusory targets for 2050 – some 14 electoral cycles into the future – may allow politicians to talk big, but those targets are about as credible as the people that utter them. This is the critical decade, not the 2050s. We are but three skinny years from what the best-science-the-world-has-to-offer tells us

must be – but still will not be – the global emissions peak. Have the honesty to face the science, and then the courage to face the people. Tell it like it is. We respect that. It’s called leadership. It’s all we’ve ever respected. And it’s our only hope.

Churchill did not say, “We will set a non-binding, conditional, political target of fighting them on the beaches in 2050, provided everyone else does the same before us and subject to a cost benefit analysis.”

What he said was, “It is not enough to say we are doing our best; we must succeed in doing what is necessary.”

About the author:

Phil Harrington is an

economist, consultant, activist

and sometime author in the

field of climate change. It’s

about all he’s ever done.

Having spent too much time

in Canberra, he retreated

for a time to the world of

international organisations,

doing hard time in Paris at

the OECD and International

Energy Agency. Wearying

of high diplomacy (you try

juggling canapés, champagne,

a dinner plate and a briefing

paper while haw-hawing

in a foreign language!), he

retreated still further, to the

depths of the Tasmanian

badlands, where he clings

on to a small plot of land,

surrounded by dogs, chickens,

children and wonder.





John’s StoryA mining engineer

for the supply and installation of two new primary ventilation fans.”

“I have also been project-managing the associated raise-bore construction project for a 5.5 metre diameter upcast ventilation shaft.”

John has been involved in the development of concept designs of Ashton’s proposed new service shafts, including ballast and concrete drop holes.

John’s role in this environmentally sustainable project has involved the production of a range of descriptive technical reports, detailing the installation of Ashton Coal’s mine dewatering pumps, the relocation of its backroad ventilation fan to a new site, as well as the installation and commissioning of Ashton’s mobile venturi gas drainage plant.

“I have gained valuable experience operating the onsite gas chromatograph, along with analysing and interpreting the results showing gas composition.

“I have been involved in the operation of the onsite BOC nitrogen inertisation plant during longwall seal-up / inertisation periods, and recently I took responsibility for coordinating the upgrade of its vapourizers to improve nitrogen delivery during future seal-up operations.

What does engineering have to do with sustainability? The connection between the two is an integral aspect of teaching in a modern engineering program, particularly at the University of Ballarat.

J ohn Gruhn, a Bachelor of Engineering Science (Mining Engineering) graduate from the University of Ballarat, has gone from strength to strength in his professional career,

commencing employment with Ashton Coal in late 2010.

Located in the New South Wales Hunter Valley region, the Ashton Coal Project (ACP) is situated 14 km northwest of Singleton and includes an underground and open-cut coal mine, a coal handling and preparation plant, and a rail siding.

The underground mine is a multiseam operation mining the Pikes Gully, Upper Liddell, Upper Lower Liddell and the Lower Barrett seams of the Foybrook formation. Coal is mined via longwall extraction methods and operates 24 hours per day, 7 days per week - extracting approximately 3.2Mtpa of ROM coal1.

John has been on a steep learning curve, having been involved in a broad range of exciting and important engineering projects, since he commenced with Ashton Coal. John has been involved from the concept design phase through to final design, specification and tendering.

“I recently performed the task of gathering and collating the necessary information and technical details to develop Ashton’s tender documents

John Gruhn



“My work has been very challenging, but always enjoyable and interesting. You don’t know what you don’t know until you actually experience real-world challenges and start thinking about possible solutions to a problem.

“My ambition now is to gain operational experience in Underground Mine Ventilation and more hands-on underground experience, with a view to obtaining a statutory Ventilation Officer qualification during 2012.

“I can see now that the education and training I received at the University of Ballarat has been invaluable in my present job.”

ENGINEERING SUSTAINABILITY AT BALLARAT

Think of sustainability as a risk management process and its link with engineering becomes obvious. In any risk management process the main controls are elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls and so on - regardless of whether we are looking at safety risk, environmental risk or financial risk. It is in the development of substitutes and engineering controls where engineers of all types can contribute.

How can this be embedded into engineering programs? First, one needs to recognise that as well as needing technical skills, students undertaking engineering programs also need to understand the wider world to apply these technical skills effectively.

The basic concepts of sustainability are easy to get across – but showing how this can impact on the wider community, is where life can get a little more difficult. Engineering disciplines have the flexibility to incorporate sustainability courses which will provide greater choice for students, in turn leading to more successful educational and engineering outcomes.

SO WHAT HAVE WE BEEN DOING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BALLARAT?

In Civil Engineering the ideas of sustainable water use, energy efficiency, grey water reuse and many others can be added onto existing curriculum materials. The same is true in mechanical engineering, for example, alternative fuels. Even in Mining Engineering sustainability issues are being addressed.

Students undertaking our mine ventilation course discover that there are a number of ways of dealing with emissions of methane from coal seams, some of which are far more sustainable than others.

Methane extracted to be used as a fuel is more energy efficient and better for the environment than releasing the gas directly into the environment. Also designing energy efficient ventilation systems not only has sustainability implications, but also reduces operating costs.

Students often choose to undertake sustainability projects as part of their final year thesis or design project. This has led to innovative and exciting projects which will benefit not only the students, but the future of Engineering and a resource challenged world.

STUDY OPPORTUNITIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BALLARAT

Our engineering graduates are highly sought after by industry having gained a balanced blend of theoretical knowledge and practical understanding during their studies.

The University of Ballarat has recently introduced a Bachelor of Engineering, which will allow students to graduate as fully qualified engineers after four years of full time undergraduate study2.

For those who have undergraduate qualifications, or are already working in the industry, the University of

Ballarat offers an internationally recognised suite of graduate programs designed to further enhance and compliment your existing skill base.

The Master of Mining Engineering is designed to allow for flexible delivery of advanced subjects in the area of Mining Engineering to allow working Engineers to understand advanced concepts and to develop skills in applying these concepts in the mining industry. The program is designed to provide advanced education across a range of mining engineering subjects and not to focus on a single area of study.

Our Graduate Diploma of Mining program is designed with the working engineer in mind. The Graduate Diploma is intended as continuing education for scientists and engineers involved with the mining industry and will appeal particularly to civil, mechanical, electrical, chemical and construction engineers, geologists, metallurgists, surveyors and other professionals with an interest in mining practice.

Students who are Australian citizens or permanent residents may choose to undertake these programs via distance education or by part-time on campus study (via block mode delivery). International Students undertake the programs at our Mt Helen campus.

1 Ashton Coal website: http://www.ashtoncoal.com.au/

2 Pending accreditation by Engineers Australia

‘Boasting state-of-the-art facilities our Mt Helen campus is set on 110 hectares of tranquil natural bushland, just minutes from the regional city

of Ballarat and only an hour from Melbourne.’

Further details on the full suite of engineering programs offered by the School of Science, Information Technology and Engineering can be found at: www.ballarat.edu.au/site/engineering



www.ecoforum.net.au/2012

REGISTER NOWAre you an environmental policymaker, CEO, decision-maker or entrepreneur? Can you afford to miss the discussions, networking, innovation and lead-generation EcoForum 2012 promises? With 600+ environmental professionals in attendance, this is your chance to hear the latest about: remediation, water, waste, climate change, mine water management, business of sustainability, sustainable engineering, sustainable cities, and communication. 30 leading environment industry exhibitors will also attend with the latest innovations, products and services.

CONFERENCE & EXHIBITIONWednesday 7 – Friday 9 March 2012, Sydney

Hunter TAFE is embracing the dynamic and ever changing workforce demands of regional

businesses through tailored training that is customised to reflect the needs of each individual business and the current demands of local industry. Whether it be customised training options or flexible delivery, in the past year Hunter TAFE has cemented its reputation as an innovative provider of learning and training options for individuals, businesses and industry alike.

Environmental sustainability is one of Hunter TAFE’s high priorities with ‘green’ solutions being fully integrated across all facets of the organisation, from new programs to a range of capital works. TAFE

has readily adopted a leadership role with regard to environmental sustainability, both in terms of its own environmental impact and in developing and training the regional workforce to align with contemporary sustainability expectations.

The Hunter TAFE Sustainability Skills Program is tailored to suit all levels of training from short courses through to accredited and professional qualifications. While the focus of the Program is to equip individuals and businesses with skills and techniques to adopt economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable practices in production and consumption, its additional benefit is to provide a smarter approach to delivery in the emerging field of education for

sustainability. This is an innovative package that is leading a new approach to education and training, promoting a more sustainable economy, society, and environment.

Courses include Diploma of Sustainability, Introduction to Carbon Accounting, Introduction to Climate Change, Policies and Procedures for Sustainability and Sustainability for Manufacturing.

For more information about these courses contact Hunter TAFE on 02 4923 7961 or email [email protected]

Training for Sustainability at Hunter TAFE



Vision 2040: mining, minerals and innovation is a ‘vision’

of Australia as the producer of minerals that are the first choice of manufacturers – not because they are the cheapest available but because they can be relied upon to meet whole-of-supply-chain guarantees of ethical and environmental products.

Almost every aspect of our daily lives is affected by the availability of many mineral resources used in goods and infrastructure. Until very recently, the provenance of these items has not been of much concern for most people, however, as consumers identify more with their product choices, there is increasing emphasis

on purchasing products that reflect well on the purchaser. Given this shift in consumer standards in areas with greater market influence than Australia can bring to bear, and Australia’s long tradition of purchasing more goods and services from overseas than we can support on the value of goods and services we export (ABARE 2009), it is worth giving serious consideration to the viability of the current business model.

This is particularly important as recent high prices for bulk commodities, an area where the mineral industry in Australia has focussed much of its efforts, have encouraged a number of other resource rich developing countries to make something more

of their own resources. The increase in supply that will flow from this investment over the next five years is likely to make mining in Australia less attractive as high prices will descend below the level that is profitable.

Recognising the changing nature of the global mineral production landscape also makes it critical to evaluate the way that we manage our export income – and assess how it can best serve Australians both now and in the future. Other countries are thinking very hard about how they manage their mineral wealth for long-term national benefit. A number of mineral producing countries are using sovereign wealth funds to make investments in areas that will keep their communities healthy,

wealthy and wise long after their original mineral endowments are gone.

DRIVERS AND TRENDS A number of drivers and trends have been identified as key aspects of Australia’s mineral future. These include maturing and changing demand for some of the commodities for which Australia is best known, reduced social licence to operate (SLO) for mining operations due to increasing energy and water usage associated with increasing production, greater competition for these resources by different sectors of the economy.

Greater environmental impacts are also reducing social licence to operate as production rises to take advantage of

Leah Mason, Senior Research Consultant, Institute for Sustainable Futures, UTS

AUSTRALIA’S MINERAL FUTURE changing the mining landscape and creating net positive benefit

In 2011, the issues surrounding Australia’s mineral future are complex, requiring broad and ongoing discussion among all stakeholders to reframe problems, find solutions and identify the opportunities that change will bring.



unprecedented high prices as ore grades decline.

Maturing demand: Australian minerals production is projected to rise, based on demand from countries including China and India continuing to follow growth trends. However, per capita steel consumption in China is now maturing to steadier levels, similar to those in developed economies like the USA (worldsteel 2010).

Challenges for energy and water: Energy consumption for mining in Australia has increased by a factor of 10 over the last decade (ABARE 2009). In the future, Australia’s competitiveness will depend on being able to access even more energy with dramatically reduced carbon dioxide emissions. Recent floods and droughts have also demonstrated that managing water is becoming a high

priority for both mining operations and surrounding communities.

Social Licence to Operate: Local social and environmental impacts are already a problem for securing and maintaining social licence. As expectations for ‘ethical’ products rise, manufacturers are looking much further up the supply chain, to ensure that all raw materials included in their products comply. Could addressing local impacts give “Brand Australia” the edge in this market?

DEVELOPING A VISION FOR AUSTRALIA’S MINERAL FUTURE The consultation process for the Vision 2040 report aimed to answer the following questions:

• What should Australians be doing with our mineral endowment in the next 30 years to underpin long-term national benefit?

• What strategies can deliver on a vision of a minerals industry embedded within a sustainable Australian community in a range of future scenarios?

• What technologies and innovations should be given priority for research and development?

Key stakeholders were asked about their views of the benefits, costs and impacts of existing mineral industries and Australia’s role as a major supplier of minerals into the future. Concerns, issues, and ideas raised during this process have been highlighted to broaden the discussion and enrich a national conversation about Australia’s mineral future.

SUMMARY OF KEY THEMES: Building long-term benefit for Australia Problem: Economic, social and environmental

impacts are affecting the productivity of mining in Australia, and future benefits.

Solutions: Sovereign wealth fund to support diversification, infrastructure and innovation.

Looking ahead to get ahead Problem: Declining mineral deposits are creating greater impacts during operations and upon closure.

Solutions: Embedding best practice mine closure, and post-mining transitions, in planning and daily operations. Exporting this knowledge globally.

Brand Australia: responsible minerals Problem: Social licence to operate is extending to sustainable and ethical supply chains for consumer products and infrastructure.

Solutions: Developing



and applying accredited standards for mining operations; Link mining to clean energy.

A National Mining Strategy Problem: Limited information and coordination reduces strategic competitiveness and opportunities for innovation.

Solutions: Measuring and managing above- and below-ground stocks to guide technology and policy development.

New approaches for new needs: Rates of discovery for new, accessible, high-grade ores are declining. Consequently, research for new discoveries, technologies and approaches are needed to continue Australia’s position as a global commodity supplier and to develop innovation beyond mining. International joint ventures, and strategic collaborations

between mining and other industry, universities, and government are required create long-term prosperity for Australia.

Excellence in remediation: With over 30,000 legacy sites in need of remediation (Worrall 2009), the minerals industry in Australia must be at the forefront of best practice in mine closure and remediation. This will ensure that mining and mineral production is a ‘welcome guest’ rather than a ‘bad tenant’ in communities.

PLANNING FOR TRANSITIONS: Similarly, increasing emphasis on ‘Fly-In-Fly-Out’ (FIFO) and ‘Drive-In-Drive-Out’ (DIDO) operations has reduced the benefits to local communities during operations, and failed to address collapses in economic development post-closure. In 2040 Australia must lead the way

in transition planning for communities.

MAKING OUR OWN LUCK Australia – the lucky country – must deepen its commitment to innovative thinking and collaborative action to build long-term value from our resourcefulness – not just our resources.

AUSTRALIA IS IN A UNIQUE POSITION At the height of a ‘boom’, Australia is well placed to shape its mining and minerals processing operations to eliminate negative impacts, strengthen positive impacts, and begin a new story by embedding itself within systems of sustainable resource use and reuse. Understanding prosperity from Australia’s finite resources needs to have a stronger focus on how this ‘wealth’ is measured, managed and distributed

between the Australian community and foreign investors.

The International Monetary Fund (2011) and OECD (2010) have suggested that Australia creates a sovereign wealth fund. Given Australia’s current reliance on export income from mining, measures to increase and save some of this income could shield the economy and budget from revenue volatility, as well as acting as a savings pool to fund the development of long term infrastructure projects, and assist Australia’s move to a low-carbon future.



With more than 250 researchers, CRC CARE is Australia’s largest and best networked

research organisation dedicated to the assessment and remediation of contaminated sites. CRC CARE’s collaborative approach to science brings together world-class researchers from universities across Australia to work with industry, government and consultants on real industry issues, allowing solutions to be tailored to particular needs that exist right now.

CRC CARE was established in 2005 under the Federal Government’s Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) program, which focuses on building research ventures to strengthen links between researchers and end-users. Now in its seventh year of operation, CRC CARE boasts an impressive range of research activities and outcomes focusing on clean-up solutions for soil, water and air across many facets of contamination.

To date, CRC CARE has funded over 140 projects through programs in research, demonstration, education and training. It includes the supervision of 65 PhD students at six universities in Australia, and another eight students in China. Over 2500 industry professionals have attended technical training sessions managed by the CRC. Its projects have so far generated over 300 scientific journal publications in addition to 19 full technical reports, with another

five currently in preparation. Seven patents have been lodged, involving a new type of electrode for measuring contaminants, modified clay sorbents and a photocatalyst for the cleaning of wastewater, and the detection of anionic surfactants. Several more are in the pipeline.

While proudly South Australian-based, CRC CARE recognises the potential global impact of its work and, as such, also actively collaborates with internationally renowned environmental research groups and universities to tap into leading and emerging research from around the world.

In addition to its research program, CRC CARE also supports a number of post-graduate students who work in conjunction with CRC CARE’s researchers to offer solutions to problems, producing a new cohort of skilled, industry-ready scientists in the specialist area of environmental contamination, assessment and remediation.

CRC CARE was granted a second term of funding in 2011 for an additional nine years, taking its funding up until 2020.

Without doubt, CRC CARE has the potential to put Australia in the world vanguard in dealing with the issue of contamination, and in helping to create a healthier, safer and more environmentally sustainable society for everyone.

Australian-based research organisation CRC CARE (the Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment) is at the forefront of research and technology development to assist in the assessment, remediation and prevention of environmental contamination.

Cooperative Research Centre for ContaminationAssessment and Remediation of the Environment

Producing a generation of young Australian professionals highly skilled at solving and preventing contamination

Extensive industry training and workshop program

Collaborations between major industry participants, researchers and end users, nationally and internationally

Fast-tracking science to the field through a national demonstration sites program

Promoting industry access to new technology and knowledge through the Australian Remediation Industry Cluster (ARIC)

www.crccare.com

CRC CARE is Australia’s leading science-based partnership in assessing, preventing and remediating contamination of soil, water and air. With a unique mix of industry, university and government agency partners, CRC CARE’s research program focuses on the challenges of best practice policy, better measurement, minimising uncertainty in risk assessment, and cleaning up.

AUSTRALIAN SCIENCE CREATING A CLEANER, SAFER ENVIRONMENTAL FUTURE



Cooperative Research Centre for ContaminationAssessment and Remediation of the Environment

Producing a generation of young Australian professionals highly skilled at solving and preventing contamination

Extensive industry training and workshop program

Collaborations between major industry participants, researchers and end users, nationally and internationally

Fast-tracking science to the field through a national demonstration sites program

Promoting industry access to new technology and knowledge through the Australian Remediation Industry Cluster (ARIC)

www.crccare.com

CRC CARE is Australia’s leading science-based partnership in assessing, preventing and remediating contamination of soil, water and air. With a unique mix of industry, university and government agency partners, CRC CARE’s research program focuses on the challenges of best practice policy, better measurement, minimising uncertainty in risk assessment, and cleaning up.





Integration of Services Enhances Environmental Education Outcomes

Since 1998, EnviroCom has been providing integrated and strategic education and research services on behalf of local and state government

clients and private businesses to enhance sustainability and promote behaviour change whilst being based on data that assists in program measurement.

The Moreton Bay Education for Sustainability Biodiversity Program is an example of how over many years EnviroCom, in partnership with Council has provided an environmental education program, using a number of delivery and evaluation techniques, has grown and diversified to meet Council’s objectives and those of their clients, in this case, the school community.

Commencing in 2005, the then Caboolture Shire Council recognised the advantages of combining four small departmental education budgets (Water, Waste, Catchment and Energy) to meet like objectives through the introduction of a schools sustainability program; at that time was known as the ‘E Team’ project. As a result of this approach the project, delivered by one service provider, ensured that sustainability messages were holistic, linking catchment care, water conservation, energy conservation, waste minimisation and recycling.

Notably, this was the only Council funded energy conservation and awareness program at the time.

Between 2005 and 2008, the program engaged with each of the areas 32 schools and over 12,000 students. New program elements were added each year to ensure relevance of Council messages and interest to the schools.

A major element for the Program was the hosting of School Sustainability Forums. The Forum in 2007, bought together 10 schools and 150 students to share experiences and allow Council to acknowledge the schools’ achievements. Each of the Forums delivered peer to peer learning opportunities for the schools and students as well as working to foster key relationships between school communities and the Council education programs.

In 2008, three Councils (Caboolture, Pine Rivers and Redcliffe) amalgamated to form the Moreton Bay Regional Council (MBRC). This produced challenges for the overall program as each Council ran its own projects, or supported commuity based catchment / waterway health education and engagement; therefore a new program had to be developed to run across all Council areas. The unique biodiversity of the region, from the mountains to

Too often community, school and business environmental education is delivered on a budget windfall, political agenda or environmental imperative of the time. Often labelled as ‘education’ these programs can incorporate very expensive mass media events which may or may not have an immediate impact and rarely long term change outcomes, they are ‘awareness raising’ programs not education. An ability to provide integrated services that encompass robust data collection and analysis, targeted research and identification of clear outcomes combined with flexibility and longevity enables environmental education programs to be meaningful, efficient and cost effective.



Moreton Bay and Pumicestone Passage, of which sections are internationally recognised RAMSAR wetlands, and the need to protect that biodiversity, led to the development of the MBRC Education for Sustainability Biodiversity Program.

There are many direct and indirect objectives for this new program that focus on engagement, awareness, skills and action for long term behavioural change and appreciation for the biodiversity of this unique region. There is a strong emphasis on identification and partnerships with existing community, Council and State Government programs. The program aims to engage the majority of educational institutions across the region and has the challenge of being continually dynamic to ensure that interest is maintained and participants can continue to deliver meaningful actions within their local communities over a number of years

Through the program, a comprehensive Bioregion Education Module has been developed to assist schools

• to gather data on the ‘green’ footprint of schools, and local sites, and their levels of biodiversity health - including waterway health where an acquatic environment is investigated.

• utilise the data to develop Action Plans that strategically plan for the implementation of initiatives at their school site or other sites investigated.

• engage in a process that develops ownership for the on-site management of school habitats and biodiversity, or for the stewardship and management of local sites of significnace to the school.

• implement initiatives from the Action Plan that results in retaining, repairing, restoring and reconnecting Ja

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Contact [email protected]

Queensland Ph: (07) 3488 9660

Sunshine Coast Ph: (07) 5494 5100

New South Wales Ph: (02) 9724 3889

Victoria Ph: (03) 9703 5288www.envirocom.com.au

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Corporate training Strategic education plans Community outreach Curriculum linked school programs Program monitoring and evaluation Waste auditing Waste management planning

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Local Government Community Schools State Government Businesses

Envirocom Australia

Environmental Education, Training, Research and Planning

Envirocom Australia

EnviroCom Australia is a prequalifed supplier under Local Buy Contract Number preferred supplier to NSW DECC under Contract Ref. 0600877 – Panel of Contractors, Waste Audit Services.

BUS.192-0709; and

the biodiversity values of the site. This includes activities such as tree plantings to repair or replace riparian vegetation or vegetation communities, weed management activities, the building and placement of appropriate nesting boxes, restoring or retaining vegetation patches to build corridors outside of the school grounds or around the site, litter and waste management practices for the site, repairing sites to restore and retain threatened and endangered local species, and intiatives to increase and improve local commuity attitudes and practices concerning the biodiversity values of a site.

• build partnerships across the region that coordinate, cooperate and are cohesive in their efforts to improve and protect the bioregion, biodiversity, waterways

and remnant vegetation of the Moreton Bay region, through the promotion of other local Council, state government, and community programs and services to assist in the implementation phase of the Action Plan, as well as through classroom teaching and learning endeavours.

Through a series of teacher and school based training and workshop opportunities, the ‘Education for Sustainability - Biodiversity Program’ emphasises the building of capacities to get students out of classrooms and into their school environment, or wider regional environment, to investigate, assess and monitor habitats and biodiversity. The ensuing Action Plan workshop then initiates the process of ongoing whole school ownership and stewardship towards that site; its management and improvement. This empowerment and

capacity building approach creates a community that relies less on Council as the expert and more on itself to effect change for the long term.

EnviroCom has developed and delivered environmental education programs to meet the needs of more than 60 local government clients, some of these are ongoing programs as in the case of Moreton Bay Regional Council, whilst other are ‘discrete’ projects that assist Council’s education teams to meet program objectives.

For further information on the programs please see our website www.envirocom.com.au or contact Paula Harrison, National Manager on (07) 3488 9660.

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These extreme weather events damaged coral reefs and seagrass beds,

leading to additional pressures on important species such as dugong and green turtle. They also had implications for the industries and communities that depend on the Reef, including direct damage to infrastructure and impacts to natural resources.

Coral reefs have a natural ability to recover from extreme weather impacts, enabling the Reef to bounce back from these events. While the Great Barrier Reef is expected to cope with the impacts of climate change better than

most coral reefs around the world, the spate of severe floods and intensity of recent cyclones will test its resilience.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority implemented the Extreme Weather Response Program to better understand the impacts of extreme weather on the Great Barrier Reef and help Reef industries and communities prepare for future extreme weather events.

Climate scientists predict increased frequency of extreme weather events such as flooding rains and intense cyclones as a result of climate change. The effects of recent extreme weather events

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority

EXTREME WEATHER AND THE GREAT BARRIER REEFThe summer of 2010-11 brought unprecedented weather conditions to Queensland. Cyclone Yasi was one of the most powerful cyclones to have affected the Great Barrier Reef since records commenced, while South East Queensland experienced intense rainfall, up to 400 per cent higher than normal.

ABOUT THIS REPORTThe Great Barrier Reef Extreme Weather Program assisted us to understand what extreme cyclones and floods mean for the Reef and the people who depend on it. It also helped target efforts to support recovery of damaged areas and build the resilience of the Reef over the longer term. This report presents key findings from the Program and profiles management and stewardship efforts that have been put in place to help the Reef cope with the after-effects of extreme weather. It also provides an overview of extreme weather in the context of climate change and the long-term outlook for the Reef and its management.

THE SUMMER OF 2010-11• Cyclone Yasi was the first category five cyclone to cross

the coast since 1918.• South East Queensland experienced rainfall 300-400

per cent higher than average.



highlight the need for effective management and active stewardship.

Insights from the Extreme Weather Response Program are being used to guide the focus of management into the future and to help build the resilience of the Reef and its industries and regional communities to climate change.

WHAT WAS SO “EXTREME” ABOUT THE SUMMER OF 2010-11? Summer is always a period of heightened risk for the Great Barrier Reef. Warmer conditions bring the threat of high sea temperatures that can cause coral bleaching and wet seasons with strong monsoonal conditions can result in large flood plumes and

damaging cyclones.

While regional climate processes such as El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cause seasonal weather patterns to swing between clear/dry (El Niño) and cloudy/wet (La Niña), global climate change is altering the underlying conditions. Already, we are seeing patterns consistent with predicted effects of climate change: an increased prevalence of coral bleaching in El Niño summers and more damage from floods and cyclones during La Niña years.

The summer of 2010-11 featured an unusually strong La Niña event. It brought exceptional weather across Australia,

Cyclone Yasi crossed the Great Barrier Reef near Dunk Island, exposing the coast and adjacent areas of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park to wind gusts up to 285 km/h. Extensive flooding resulted in persistent floodplumes in the central and southern Great Barrier Reef.



resulting in the second wettest summer on record. In South East Queensland, the summer saw intense rain and devastating floods. North Queensland experienced tropical cyclone Yasi’s very destructive winds and a powerful storm surge. In combination, the summer of 2010-11 had brought conditions unprecedented in the history of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

This was not the only wet and windy summer for the Great Barrier Reef. Three of the last four summers have all had above average rainfall in eastern Queensland associated with La Niña conditions.

The cumulative effects of these wet seasons have meant that some sensitive species (such as corals, seagrasses, green turtle and dugong) were particularly vulnerable to the extreme weather conditions that occurred in the summer of 2010-11.

WHY IS EXTREME WEATHER A PROBLEM FOR CORAL REEFS? Cyclonic winds and floodwaters can have severe impacts on coral reef ecosystems. Floodwaters entering the Great Barrier Reef can cause stress to inshore ecosystems through reduced salinity, increased turbidity and elevated concentrations of nutrients and agricultural chemicals. Prolonged exposure can lead to death in some species, especially sessile (attached) organisms such as corals and seagrasses.

Corals and seagrasses provide essential habitat and food for many other species such as fish, turtles and dugong; their loss can have flow-on effects through the system.

Some species, especially various types of algae and crown-of-thorns starfish, can actually benefit from the increased input of materials (e.g. nutrients), leading to imbalances in the system.

Tropical cyclones affect coral reefs in different ways. Cyclones cause exceptionally strong winds which generate powerful waves that crash onto shallow reef areas and create damaging turbulence in deeper areas. Flood plumes, caused by the intense rainfall that often accompanies cyclones, can expose large areas to stressful changes in water quality. Particularly intense and large cyclones, such as cyclone Yasi, can also cause destructive currents as huge amounts of water are driven by sustained winds and waves.

Through the direct forces of waves and currents, and the impacts of sand and rubble tossed around by underwater turbulence, cyclones can cause extensive damage to corals and the underlying reef structure.

At reefs exposed to the full force of a cyclone there can be near-complete destruction of the coral

community and associated species, leaving a barren and pulverised reef substrate. For weaker cyclones or at reefs further from the centre of intense cyclones, damage is generally less severe. Patches of reef may still be denuded by the cyclone’s force, but these are usually outnumbered by the many patches of surviving coral.

Cyclones can also damage seagrasses and other coastal habitats such as mangroves and wetlands. Seagrasses in the intertidal zone can be ripped up by large waves, while deeper seagrass meadows can be scoured by strong currents. Mangroves and wetlands can suffer the effects of fierce winds and unusual or prolonged inundation.

CYCLONES AND FLOODS IN HISTORICAL CONTEXT The Great Barrier Reef ecosystem has evolved under a natural regime of cyclones and floods, so in many ways severe weather

Six severe cyclones have impacted the Great Barrier Reef since 2005. The greater frequency of extreme weather events will reduce the time for reefs to recover between disturbances.



is ‘normal’. Between 1995 and 2009 approximately 34 per cent of all coral mortality recorded in long-term monitoring1 of the Great Barrier Reef is attributable to storm damage.

However, recent conditions are causing unprecedented challenges for the Great Barrier Reef. The floodwaters now entering the Great Barrier Reef carry chemicals (nutrients and pesticides) and quantities of sediments that would not have occurred prior to European settlement. Severe cyclones are predicted to occur more frequently as the climate warms, bringing a future where the recovery potential of coral reefs and seagrass meadows becomes increasingly important. Chronic stresses from reduced water quality can hinder recovery of damaged seabed communities. Therefore, the combined effect of increased flooding and

more severe storms means efforts to restore the natural resilience of important habitats such as coral reefs and seagrass meadows are more important than ever before.

The extreme weather events of 2010-11 caused a range of impacts to the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem. Fortunately, the major tourism areas off Port Douglas, Cairns and Airlie Beach were spared serious damage. However, while the effects of these events were patchy, the combined damage from floods and cyclone Yasi spans a large area and the most severely damaged reefs could take decades to recover. Many of the impacts were immediate and direct, such as broken coral from cyclone-driven waves and seagrass meadows scoured by flood plumes. Other impacts are indirect and will take time to fully manifest. These include the effect of damaged seagrass meadows on dugong and

green turtle populations and the potential effects on seabirds impacted by changes to islands and cays used for nesting.

REEFS FEEL THE BRUNT OF EXTREME WEATHER Coral reefs were affected by both flooding and cyclone Yasi with many inshore reef areas experiencing some stress from floodwaters during 2010-11. The exceptionally large volumes of water flowing from rivers in South East Queensland had the greatest potential to cause lasting damage. The worst effects of the flooding were confined to inshore reefs close to the mouths of major rivers. Surveys of coral reefs in the Keppel Bay region, near the mouth of the Fitzroy River, showed floodwaters had caused severe damage to shallow reef areas. Reefs fringing the mainland sides of islands had the greatest exposure to floodwaters, and it was here that up to 85-100 per cent of corals were killed.

While the reefs of the Keppel Bay region have historically shown an impressive resilience to impacts from floods and coral bleaching, recovery at the most severely damaged sites will take many years. Cyclone Yasi is one of the most damaging single events to affect the Reef in the last 100 years. It caused patchy damage across offshore, mid-shelf and inshore reefs along 400 km of the northern Great Barrier Reef. Damage was largely confined to an area south of Cairns to around Townsville, sparing major tourism areas. Overall, approximately six per cent of reef habitat in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park suffered severe damage (most corals broken or removed). Approximately 85 per cent of coral reef habitat in the Marine Park escaped largely undamaged by the cyclone.

Cyclone Yasi was not the only major cyclone to affect the Great Barrier

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Reef in recent years. In fact, four other category five cyclones have affected the Reef already this century (compared with only two last century – both in 1918). As a result of the large scale impact of these cyclones (especially cyclones Yasi and Hamish in the last few years), it is likely storm damage now accounts for the largest share of coral mortality on the Reef over the past two decades.

CORAL TROUT CATCHES DIVE IN WAKEOF CYCLONE Many commercial fishers reported dramatic declines in catch rates of coral trout at shallow reef areas affected by cyclone Yasi. Follow-up research found this was not related to a change in the abundance of coral trout, but rather appeared to be explained by a decrease in the ‘catchability’ of these fish. These results are consistent with the effects reported following cyclone Hamish in 2009.

Underwater surveys of shallow reefs (less than 20 m) offshore Townsville found the numbers of adult coral trout in Marine National Park (Green) Zones – which are closed to fishing – had not been affected by cyclone Yasi. In contrast, the research documented a large decline in the abundance of adult coral trout at nearby reefs open to fishing (Habitat Protection (Blue) Zones) since previous surveys. The very low numbers of adult fish in Blue Zones compared with Green Zones suggests that Blue Zone reefs off Townsville have received

substantial additional fishing pressure since the last surveys. This is likely to be the result of a northward movement of the southern commercial fishing fleet in response to depressed catch rates on reefs affected by cyclone Hamish.

Most commercial fishing activity targeting coral trout takes place in shallower waters. Although the post-Yasi surveys were restricted to these relatively shallow areas of the Reef, anecdotal reports from recreational and commercial fishers who fish deeper shoals suggest that populations of coral trout may have been less impacted in these deeper habitats. In combination with the Marine National Park Zones, these refugia will play an important role in the recovery of coral trout populations in shallow areas affected by intense fishing pressure. The research reinforces the importance of Green Zones for the protection of coral trout populations.

Overall, the results indicate that coral trout remain prominent components of the fish community throughout the areas affected by extreme weather, even though specific sectors of the commercial fishing industry have been impacted by depressed catch rates.

Monitoring of recovery and further research are continuing, including a coral trout tagging program. This work will help fishers and management agencies better understand the implications of extreme weather on fish populations and inform management

arrangements that can further improve the ecological sustainability of the coral reef finfish fishery.

SEAGRASS MEADOWS IN DECLINE Seagrass meadows are vitally important to the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem. They are also vulnerable to the effects of extreme weather.

Preliminary survey results indicate the extensive and prolonged floods have caused significant damage to important seagrass meadows in the southern Great Barrier Reef. Cyclone Yasi also damaged seagrass meadows. There are indications that many shallow water or intertidal meadows suffered severe scouring within the area affected by gale force winds. Deepwater surveys using remotely-operated vehicles indicate cyclone Yasi may even have damaged seagrass meadows down to at least 30m depth: deepwater sites known to have lush seagrass meadows five years ago were found to be almost completely barren following cyclone Yasi.

The difficult task of assessing the full extent of seagrass loss is continuing, but it is likely there will be more seagrass lost as the long-term impacts of flooding manifest. The rate of seagrass decline depends on the type of seagrass community, with some species of seagrass able to tolerate longer periods of light limitation than other species.

Recovery rates are also highly variable. Some meadows with intact seed

banks or remnant plants can show strong recovery in a year or so, while other slower-growing species and areas with diminished seed banks may not recover for decades.

The effects of the extreme weather events follow a series of stressful wet seasons for seagrasses. Prior to the 2010-11 summer, many intertidal seagrass meadows hadshown a trend of declining abundance2.In combination, these observations indicatethat seagrasses, and the species thatdepend on them, are especially vulnerable to changing conditions and will require increased management focus in coming years. It is critical that monitoring and research continue to build knowledge of the status and trends of this very important habitat and the options for building their resilience in a changing climate.

DUGONG AND TURTLE LOSE FOOD SUPPLIES Dugong and green turtles are almost entirely reliant on seagrasses for their nutrition. This strong dependency has meant dugong and green turtles have also suffered from the 2010-11 summer’s extreme weather. Information received through the Marine Strandings Program reveals a dramatic increase in the number of dead turtles and dugong reported from beaches in areas affected by extreme weather.

Dugong deaths following cyclone Yasi and the floods were much higher than any previous year

‘Dugongs are thought to be suffering the effects of declining seagrass meadows, despite improvements in their level of protection. Reported turtle

strandings in 2011 are significantly higher than in previous years.’‘Green turtles are also being affected by loss of seagrasses, but they can

supplement their diet somewhat with algae and mangrove leaves.’

2 Marine Monitoring Program report: www.gbrmpa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/7677/RRMMP_Seagrass_annual_report_2009_10.pdf

Reef Plan Report Card: www.reefplan.qld.gov.au/measuring-success/reportcards/first-report-card.aspx



for which there are records. One hundred and eighty one strandings were reported up until November 2011 compared to 85 for the same period in the previous year. Due to chronic pressures and slow reproduction rates, dugong populations were only just beginning to stabilise after an extended period of decline. Experts are concerned the losses following extreme weather events could have a significant bearing on the long-term vulnerability of dugong, at least in waters south of Cooktown.

Stranding reports for green turtles in Queensland are also significantly higher than previous years. Reported deaths for 2011 up to November were 1275 compared with 754 for the

same period in the previous year. Green turtles are able to partially compensate for decreased seagrass availability by eating algae and mangrove leaves and by having relatively low energy demands. While this enables them to cope with declines in seagrass better than dugong, the lower nutritional value of these foods renders them more susceptible to ill health and death.

It is likely the impacts of the extreme weather of 2010-11 on dugong and green turtles are being exacerbated by the longer-term decline in seagrass abundance. As a result, experts are predicting the increase in dugong and turtle deaths may be a trend that continues at least into 2012. Reversal

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of this trend will require substantial recovery of seagrass meadows as well as careful management of other risks to these species.

Further research is under way to track the movements of green turtles as they search for suitable feeding areas. Initial results show green turtles are concentrating their movements at particular sites, indicating they are locating suitable seagrass meadows even in areas affected by cyclone Yasi. This work will improve our understanding of changes in distribution and behaviour so managers can better target efforts to minimise avoidable risks and support recovery of dugong and green turtle populations.

ISLANDS AND BEACHES Islands provide habitat for a diversity of terrestrial species and are a critical breeding habitat for marine species such as seabirds and marine turtles. Many island features are vulnerable to extreme weather, with forest habitats and nesting beaches susceptible to cyclone impacts and ecosystems at risk from pest introductions facilitated by floodwaters.

Island surveys confirmed cyclone Yasi caused extensive damage to vegetation. Large trees and entire sections of rainforest were destroyed on islands exposed to very destructive winds, resulting in the loss of food and habitat for many animals that rely on island forests. Numbers of breeding pied imperial pigeon on North Brook Island in 2011 are less than ten per cent of previous years, suggesting the island or mainland feeding habitats are too damaged to

‘Dugong depend almost entirely on seagrass for food. The poor nutritional condition of stranded dugongs suggests that many deaths are associated with

the decline in seagrass following extreme weather events.’



support normal breeding.

Cyclone Yasi, possibly in combination with cyclone Anthony, caused the formation of new rubble cays on some reefs and the loss of some sandy cays. The erosion of shorelines by waves has changed beaches and sand spits on many islands. These changes impacted turtles and seabirds that use these sandy areas. Breeding was disrupted on affected islands, with loss of eggs and chicks recorded.

Michalmas Cay, a very important area for seabird breeding and tourism, lost half of its available nesting habitat. The effects on seabirds will continue until there is substantial recovery of these habitats. Large amounts of marine debris, including vegetation, logs, damaged vessels and infrastructure, were reported to have washed up on islands impacted by floodwaters. The debris increases the risk that mainland pest species are transferred onto islands. Island vegetation is already showing early signs of recovery, with abundant reshooting from broken stems and seeds on many islands. However, there is concern that weeds will slow, or prevent, full recovery in some areas. Sections of fringing mangroves killed by cyclone Yasi will take many years to recover, although foliage is quickly sprouting on surviving trees.

Rainforest and bushland birds on islands are expected to recover as the vegetation re-establishes. Turtles and seabirds are likely to adjust to changes in beaches and islands over time, although there is the

risk that breeding success in the coming season will still be affected. Further surveys are planned to assess longer-term impacts on these species at key locations.

Islands are also an important focus for people visiting the Great Barrier Reef, with many receiving high numbers of visitors annually. Key infrastructure, such as landing facilities and walking tracks, were damaged by cyclone Yasi. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service repaired these as a priority and some key sites were operational within a few weeks after the cyclone. Others, like the Thorsborne Trail on Hinchinbrook Island and facilities on Dunk Island have taken months just to clear and re-open. Some of the restoration work will not be completed for another 12 months.

Extreme weather doesn’t just affect the ecosystems of the Great Barrier Reef; it also impacts the industries and communities that depend on them. Insights into the social and economic impacts can help Reef industries and communities better prepare for future events, and identify ways they can support the recovery of the Reef in the wake of extreme weather impacts. Understanding the consequences for Reef industries and communities is also important for effective conservation of the Great Barrier Reef, as changes in patterns of use following extreme weather events can create new ‘hotspots’ of pressure on the ecosystem.

Following cyclone Yasi and the floods, a rapid

assessment of social and economic impacts on the commercial tourism and fishing industries evaluated the effects of these events on Reef dependent industries.

TOURISM OPERATORS The Great Barrier Reef marine tourism industry is a significant contributor to regional economies along the Great Barrier Reef coast. This makes the Great Barrier Reef tourism industry particularly vulnerable to declines in reef health.

The extreme weather events of the 2010-11 summer did not cause serious damage to the major tourism destinations off Port Douglas, Cairns and Airlie Beach. Minor damage was reported at some fragile reef sites as far as 500 km from the eye of cyclone Yasi, but the majority of tourism sites were providing high-quality reef experiences for visitors within days following cyclone Yasi.

Despite minimal damage to major tourism destinations and popular reef sites, tourism operators did suffer impacts following the extreme weather. Many businesses – especially those affected directly by cyclone Yasi – lost operating days due to damaged infrastructure such as vessels, berthing facilities and shore-based facilities. There were 1.58 million visitor days to the Marine Park in the 2010-11 financial year, a 10 per cent decline from the previous year. Much of the tourism industry is reliant on access to healthy reefs to present to their visitors.

For many tourism operators a decline in overall

visitation to the region was the source of most economic hardship.

The social and economic surveys revealed many tourism operators believe the high profile of cyclone Yasi and the floods in local and international media gave the impression the entire Great Barrier Reef was severely damaged, causing tourists to postpone or cancel their plans for travel to the region.

Although the vast majority of Reef tourism operations and destinations were fully operational within days following cyclone Yasi, industry sources reported visitors from outside the region (especially internationally) perceived the Great Barrier Reef as being unlikely to provide a good tourism experience as a result of cyclone Yasi and the South East Queensland floods.

The tourism industry was also affected by the disruption to normal transport routes across Queensland. Impacts on air, rail and road networks from the extreme weather events forced visitors to change their travel plans and bypass or curtail their stay in the Great Barrier Reef region. Reduced opportunities for seasonal work in agricultural sectors damaged by cyclone Yasi also contributed to reduced visitation to the region.

A number of northern Great Barrier Reef island tourism resorts were very badly damaged by the cyclones that occurred in the summer of 2010-2011 and were closed while damage was repaired. Resorts at Dunk and Bedarra islands have been most severely damaged, and both remain

‘The extreme weather events of 2010-11 did not cause serious damage to major tourism destinations off Port Douglas, Cairns and Airlie Beach. Despite minimal damage to reef tourism sites, many tourism operators still suffered

economic impacts.’



closed and are unlikely to re-open in the immediate future. Some of the impacts of the tourism downturn were offset by the influx of workers involved in the post-Yasi recovery efforts. However, this tended to assist accommodation and restaurant businesses rather than reef-based tourism operations. The surveys also found the impacts of the extreme weather events were significantly exacerbated by the underlying downward trend in tourism visitation to the Great Barrier Reef region associated with global economic conditions and other externalities.

COMMERCIAL FISHERS Commercial fishers suffered a range of impacts following the extreme weather of summer 2010-11. The effects of cyclone Yasi on coral trout catches were a major impact on many Reef-dependant fishing businesses. In addition to decreased catch rates, cyclone Yasi reduced the ability of fishers to access fishing locations, compromised water quality and created debris that caused damage to fishing gear. Fishing businesses also suffered damage to vessels and landbased infrastructure.

In the southern Great Barrier Reef, the major flooding in South East Queensland affected inshore fishers, especially those targeting mudcrabs and barramundi. Catches of both of these species increased in many locations due to favourable conditions caused by strong freshwater flows into estuarine systems.

Research revealed some commercial fishers have strategies in place

to build resilience to unpredictable events such as extreme weather. Diversification proved a particularly important strategy following cyclone Yasi and the floods, as this enabled some fishers to switch to other target species (such as mudcrabs or barramundi) or focus on other (non-fishing) business interests to maintain income while coral trout catches were low. Fishers who have managed to adopt these resiliencebuilding strategies are likely to have an improved business outlook in the wake of extreme weather impacts. However, most fishers expect to suffer some level of financial hardship for an extended period as a result of cyclone Yasi.

The Great Barrier Reef is a dynamic ecosystem that is naturally resilient to severe weather events such as cyclones and floods. However, mounting local and global pressures mean many aspects of the Great Barrier Reef system are under growing stress, potentially undermining its resilience. The implications of the extreme weather events of 2010-11 have caused lasting impacts, but they also create an opportunity to learn about ways managers, Reef industries, researchers, Traditional Owners and the community can help the Reef be resilient to the effects of extreme weather events and a changing climate.

REEF RECOVERY While storms are a normal part of the Great Barrier Reef environment, cyclones of Yasi’s intensity and size have historically been rare events, recurring on timescales of centuries,

rather than decades. Climate scientists are concerned that climate change could cause an increase in the frequency of extreme intensity storms, potentially making these very rare events more common in the future.

Yet, cyclones are not the only risk predicted to increase as the climate changes. Coral bleaching events, already attributed with causing severe and lasting damage to 18 per cent of the world’s coral reefs, are projected to increase in frequency and severity as global average temperatures rise over the course of this century.

While the Great Barrier Reef is healthier and more resilient than most coral reefs around the world, the cumulative effects of climate change and coastal development mean coral reefs around the globe will be damaged more often and spending more time in recovery.

Although pressures from climate change are largely beyond the control of marine managers, modelling studies clearly show effective management of local stresses such as pollution and overfishing will play an increasingly crucial role in the fate of coral reefs.

In recognition of the growing pressures associated with extreme weather events and climate change, the GBRMPA and its partners are focused on restoring the resilience of the Great Barrier Reef. Major initiatives include the Australian Government’s Reef Water Quality Protection Plan, which aims to halt and reverse the decline in water

quality entering the Great Barrier Reef, the rezoning of the Reef in 2004 (which increased the coverage of no fishing areas from five per cent to 33 per cent) and widespread efforts to ensure sustainable fishing practices.

For reefs in healthy conditions, signs of new coral growth and recovery can be often seen within a few years. However, full recovery of a coral reef community can take more than a decade, even for offshore reefs, which are less affected by degraded water quality. Efforts to build the resilience of the Great Barrier Reef will be crucially important to the ability of reefs to recover from future impacts.

PARTNERSHIPS IN RESILIENCE Reef industries, researchers, communities and Traditional Owners are all key partners in the protection and care of the Great Barrier Reef and many are proactively taking steps to support the resilience of the Reef in the wake of the extreme weather events of 2010-11.

Tourism operators protect reef resilience The Reef tourism industry is a key partner in Marine Park management and is working in partnership with the GBRMPA to build the resilience of the Great Barrier Reef and improve responses to extreme weather events. For example, through the integrated Eye on the Reef program, tourism operators and other reef visitors have been helping managers assess the spatial extent of damage from extreme weather, and to provide early warning of new issues that might be a concern for

“We share the community’s concern about these species [green turtles and dugong].

Our decision to temporarily suspend hunting in our sea country is our way of directly supporting the Great Barrier Reef that has been important to our people for over 60,000 years.”

Phil Rist Nywaigi Traditional Owner and CEO Girringun Aboriginal Corporation



the Reef’s health.

Individual operators and tourism associations are also working in partnership with managing agencies to ensure arrangements and mechanisms are in place to promptly respond to industry needs as a result of an environmental incident such as a cyclone or coral bleaching.

The control of crown-of-thorns starfish is a direct way in which individual tourism operators are supporting Reef resilience. Crown-of-thorn starfish are a natural predator of corals on the Great Barrier Reef and scientific research has shown the devastating outbreaks over recent decades are linked to an increase in nutrients entering the Reef. While there are strategic programs to improve water quality on a Reef-wide scale, the Reef tourism industry has invested large efforts in limiting the local-scale impacts of the starfish through control programs focused on important tourism sites. These efforts have been beneficial to tourism businesses operating in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park

It is possible that local-scale starfish control could provide important, wider ecological benefits to reefs struggling to recover from storm damage. As part of the response to the extreme weather impacts, GBRMPA has partnered with the Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators to reinvigorate the crown-ofthorns starfish control program, including new equipment to increase the industry’s capacity to remove starfish from multiple high use tourism locations and to extend



control work into other areas.

Commercial fishers tag trout for the future Commercial fishers are participating in a tag and release program to help the industry and management agencies learn more about coral trout before and after extreme weather events. Tags and tagging kits have been distributed to Reef Guardian Fishers, enabling baseline information on coral trout growth, survival and movement to be obtained from a number of reefs throughout the Marine Park. Information from the tagging program will contribute to the ecologically sustainable management of coral trout.

Commercial fishers have also been helping to reduce pressures on turtles and dugong. In stranding ‘hot-spots’ fishers have altered their netting practices to minimise the risk of animals being caught in nets.

Aquarium collectors: stewardship in action Aquarium fishers demonstrated their stewardship of local resources through a self-imposed moratorium on collecting at reefs affected by the South East Queensland floods. Many of the reefs in the Keppel Bay region are important to the commercial fishers

that collect corals and fish for the aquarium trade. Pro-vision Reef, the peak body for these aquarium fishers, collaborated with management agencies to activate their Stewardship Action Plan following reports of damage to Keppel Bay reefs. Aquarium fishers also assisted in the collection of information on the Reef’s condition by providing the first underwater images of reefs after the floods.

Traditional Owners caring for sea country Traditional use activities in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park are managed under the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975, and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Regulations 1983. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Zoning Plan 2003 recognises that under section 211 of the Native Title Act 1993, Native Title holders may undertake traditional use of marine resources in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

While Traditional Owners have Native Title rights to conduct traditional use activities, many Traditional Owners share conservation concerns due to the combined effects of extreme weather events, boat strikes, coastal development, habitat degradation, netting and

pollution that impact on marine environments and resources.

Some Traditional Owner groups are actively engaged with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority through formal management arrangements. These partnerships involve management elements such as compliance activities and monitoring human impacts and the condition of plants and animals. Traditional Owner groups play an important role in research occurring on the ground with some groups actively involved in turtle tagging and tracking programs on their sea country areas.

Recreational users and the community A key challenge for marine managers lies in understanding the impacts of events such as extreme weather on rare or highly mobile species such as dugong and turtles. However, with the help of people who are visiting the Reef or adjacent coastline, managers can get a better idea of changes in the behaviour, movement or death rates of these important species. The Eye on the Reef and Marine Strandings programs enable Reef visitors and members of local communities to help keep

an eye on the health of the Reef by reporting sightings of iconic species, unusual behaviours and injured or dead wildlife. Following the extreme weather of summer 2010-11, these programs have been especially important. Reports from members of the public about the number and location of stranded dugong and turtles is providing managers with an important measure of mortality and helping to assess the ongoing impact of extreme weather on these species.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE It is impossible to attribute any single weather event to climate change. However, there is mounting evidence weather patterns are changing as the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere continues to rise. Although the total amount of rainfall and the average number of cyclones is not predicted to increase, intense rainfall events (with increased flooding risk) and severe cyclones are predicted to occur more frequently under a changing climate. Small changes in the strength or pattern of extreme weather can significantly affect an ecosystem. For example, scientific modelling

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suggests an increase in cyclone intensity of half a category would result in 50 – 60 per cent greater loss in coral cover as a result of cyclones. This highlights the value of learning about the implications of extreme weather events such as those that affected the Reef in the 2010-11 summer if we are to help build the resilience of the Reef to future challenges.

We can’t control the weather, but we can help reefs be more resilient A future of increased frequency of extreme weather events brings greater risk to reefs from floods, cyclones and high water temperatures. It also shortens the time available for reefs to recover between damaging events. Reef recovery is particularly sensitive to environmental conditions (such as water quality), so changing weather patterns mean efforts to restore the natural resilience of the Reef are increasingly important. Reducing the amount of fertiliser and pesticides entering the Great Barrier Reef, minimising loss of soils into our rivers and ensuring our fishing is sustainable will all help the Reef cope with climate change. Through measures such as Marine Park zoning, improved fisheries management

arrangements and the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan, the Australian and Queensland governments are seeking to reduce non-climate change related pressures and disturbances, so the Reef is more able to withstand, and recover from, the impacts of climate change.

Managing the Great Barrier Reef in the wake of extreme weather The Great Barrier Reef Extreme Weather Program has provided important insights into the potential impacts from extreme weather events and their implications for Reef industries and regional communities. As a result of this work, extreme weather events are now recognised as an important risk to the Great Barrier Reef and the GBRMPA has developed an integrated response strategy for extreme weather events.

The recent impacts from extreme weather have reinforced the importance of effective management of the Great Barrier Reef and highlighted the critical role of stewardship in ensuring its conservation and sustainable use. Focal areas for the GBRMPA include inshore biodiversity, the Reef Guardians stewardship program and the Reef Water Quality Protection

Plan 2020 targets. The Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report, Climate Change Action Plan and the Biodiversity Conservation Strategy (currently under development) are key documents outlining the future focus for management of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

THE EXTREME WEATHER RESPONSE PROGRAM—A GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIP The Extreme Weather Response Program was implemented by the GBRMPA and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service to improve our understanding of the impacts and implications for the Great Barrier Reef following Queensland’s floods and cyclone Yasi in the 2010-11 summer.

The program was supported by funding from the Australian Government’s Caring for our Country initiative. It built on existing Reef conservation programs of the GBRMPA and the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, and benefited from strong collaborations with research agencies (including the CSIRO, James Cook University and the Australian Institute of Marine Science),

Traditional Owners and Reef industries including tourism and commercial fishing.

DISCLAIMER

The views and opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of the Australian Government. While reasonable effort has been made to ensure that the contents of this article are factually correct, the Commonwealth does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the contents, and shall not be liable for any loss or damage that may be occasioned directly or indirectly through the use of, mor reliance on, the contents of this article.

For more information on extreme weather in the Great Barrier Reef, please visit the GBRMPA website: www.gbrmpa.gov.au

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Environmental Remediation Services - Engineered Solutions for Environmental ChallengesEnvironmental remediation in general presents a raft of challenges and these challenges are driven generally by the type of contamination, the substance contaminated, the location if the contamination, the level of community concern and finally the current regulatory framework.

EMS is part of the value chain successfully meeting these challenges within Australia and into Asia. In particular EMS operates in environments such as:

• Servicestations• FuelDepots• RefineriesandTerminals• Hydrocarbonandchemicalstoragedepots• Paint,Chemicalandotherliquid

manufacturing facilities• Miningfacilities• Landfills

Working primarily with environmental scientistsandenvironmentalengineers,EMScanassistinthedesign,manufacture,projectmanagement,installation,commissioning,remotemonitoringandwherenecessary, the maintenance of remediation systems.

Realvalueisdeliveredthroughthepracticalhands-onexperienceEMShasacquiredovermanyyearsofproblemsolving; helping its customers minimise environmental risks and hazards and importantly assisting them to meet environmentalregulatoryobligations-effectivelyandefficiently.

TheEMSteamconsistsofdedicatedEngineersandTradesmen,andwhiledrawingonthepast,theteamiscontinuallylookingto innovate or adopt emerging technologies and approaches thatwillachievedesiredoutcomesinacost-effectivemanner.

Itsmanufacturedsolutionscanbemobile,semi-mobileorpermanentanddependingonneeds,maybeownedor hiredbycustomers.

SoilRemediation• SoilVapourExtraction(SVE)• AirSparging(AS)• GAC• CatoxorThermox

GroundwaterRemediationEMShasthecapabilityundertakeorprovidesolutionsforgroundwater remediation works utilising the following technologies:

• SkimmingSystems• PortableAirStripperandBlowerPackages• TrailerMountedRecoveryPackages• PumpandTreatContainerisedSystems• Multi-PhaseExtraction(semi-permanentormobile)

Systems• AirStrippingforDissolvedHydrocarbons(AS)

• WaterTreatment• Coagulationandflocculation• CentrifugalandCoalescingOilWaterSeparation• GAC• OffGasTreatment

Thiscollaborativeworkstylehasbeenconsistentlydemonstrated with respect its activities in Environmental Remediation-whereEMSiscurrentlyconsideredasubjectmatterexpertforthemanufactureoffixedandportableremediation systems.

Thethreebusinessfocus’ofEMS:EngineeringServices,EnvironmentalRemediationServicesandMaintenance

Servicesattimesbecomeinterdependentoneachother,whichenablesEMStodeliveramuchbroader,‘fullserviceoffer’toitscustomers.

AtthecoreofallEMS’activitiesistheabilityofthecompanytodimension,designandmanageprojects.

Thefollowingareclientsresponses’whenasked‘Whatdoyouthinkaresomeofthe

mainstrengthsofEMS?’

‘People and the relationships’

‘Ability to analyse a technical problem and develop a solution’

‘Ability to provide after sales service and access to staff is also high’

‘Quality of work is high’

‘Ability to design/work as a team with consultants’

‘Work is generally fairly priced in comparison to competitors, sometime wonder if EMS under-price some elements of their work/expertise’

‘EMS has developed a business of providing environmental remediation equipment and are generally accepted as being leaders in this niche’

100 Olympia Street, Tottenham, VIC 3012 Tel: +61 3 9325 3600 www.teamems.com.au

ACN 103 513 211 | ABN 16 437 189 626 | REC 15955

3D CAD rendering of remediation plant

Environmental Remediation Services

EMS specialises in solutions for the remediation of contaminated soil and groundwater.

100 Olympia Street, Tottenham, VIC 3012

Tel: +613 93253600 www.teamems.com.au

ACN 103 513 211 | ABN 16 437 189 626 | REC 15955

Engineered Solutions for Environmental Challenges



Environmental Remediation Services - Engineered Solutions for Environmental ChallengesEnvironmental remediation in general presents a raft of challenges and these challenges are driven generally by the type of contamination, the substance contaminated, the location if the contamination, the level of community concern and finally the current regulatory framework.

EMS is part of the value chain successfully meeting these challenges within Australia and into Asia. In particular EMS operates in environments such as:

• Servicestations• FuelDepots• RefineriesandTerminals• Hydrocarbonandchemicalstoragedepots• Paint,Chemicalandotherliquid

manufacturing facilities• Miningfacilities• Landfills

Working primarily with environmental scientistsandenvironmentalengineers,EMScanassistinthedesign,manufacture,projectmanagement,installation,commissioning,remotemonitoringandwherenecessary, the maintenance of remediation systems.

Realvalueisdeliveredthroughthepracticalhands-onexperienceEMShasacquiredovermanyyearsofproblemsolving; helping its customers minimise environmental risks and hazards and importantly assisting them to meet environmentalregulatoryobligations-effectivelyandefficiently.

TheEMSteamconsistsofdedicatedEngineersandTradesmen,andwhiledrawingonthepast,theteamiscontinuallylookingto innovate or adopt emerging technologies and approaches thatwillachievedesiredoutcomesinacost-effectivemanner.

Itsmanufacturedsolutionscanbemobile,semi-mobileorpermanentanddependingonneeds,maybeownedor hiredbycustomers.

SoilRemediation• SoilVapourExtraction(SVE)• AirSparging(AS)• GAC• CatoxorThermox

GroundwaterRemediationEMShasthecapabilityundertakeorprovidesolutionsforgroundwater remediation works utilising the following technologies:

• SkimmingSystems• PortableAirStripperandBlowerPackages• TrailerMountedRecoveryPackages• PumpandTreatContainerisedSystems• Multi-PhaseExtraction(semi-permanentormobile)

Systems• AirStrippingforDissolvedHydrocarbons(AS)

• WaterTreatment• Coagulationandflocculation• CentrifugalandCoalescingOilWaterSeparation• GAC• OffGasTreatment

Thiscollaborativeworkstylehasbeenconsistentlydemonstrated with respect its activities in Environmental Remediation-whereEMSiscurrentlyconsideredasubjectmatterexpertforthemanufactureoffixedandportableremediation systems.

Thethreebusinessfocus’ofEMS:EngineeringServices,EnvironmentalRemediationServicesandMaintenance

Servicesattimesbecomeinterdependentoneachother,whichenablesEMStodeliveramuchbroader,‘fullserviceoffer’toitscustomers.

AtthecoreofallEMS’activitiesistheabilityofthecompanytodimension,designandmanageprojects.

Thefollowingareclientsresponses’whenasked‘Whatdoyouthinkaresomeofthe

mainstrengthsofEMS?’

‘People and the relationships’

‘Ability to analyse a technical problem and develop a solution’

‘Ability to provide after sales service and access to staff is also high’

‘Quality of work is high’

‘Ability to design/work as a team with consultants’

‘Work is generally fairly priced in comparison to competitors, sometime wonder if EMS under-price some elements of their work/expertise’

‘EMS has developed a business of providing environmental remediation equipment and are generally accepted as being leaders in this niche’

100 Olympia Street, Tottenham, VIC 3012 Tel: +61 3 9325 3600 www.teamems.com.au

ACN 103 513 211 | ABN 16 437 189 626 | REC 15955

3D CAD rendering of remediation plant

Environmental Remediation Services

EMS specialises in solutions for the remediation of contaminated soil and groundwater.

100 Olympia Street, Tottenham, VIC 3012

Tel: +613 93253600 www.teamems.com.au

ACN 103 513 211 | ABN 16 437 189 626 | REC 15955

Engineered Solutions for Environmental Challenges



SLR Consulting

UNDERSTANDING THE OPPORTUNITIES under the Carbon Farming Initiative



The CFI is now operational, and with it a series of supporting methodologies to help Local Governments, farmers and land managers seize opportunities for generating extra revenue in the form of carbon credits, while reducing carbon pollution.

Local Governments are set to benefit from the finalised Carbon Farming Initiative methodology for the capture and combustion

of landfill gas from legacy waste, meaning waste deposited prior to 1 July 2012.

What is the Carbon Farming Initiative? The Carbon Farming Futures (CFF) program is part of the Land Sector Package under the Government’s clean energy future plan and will be delivered by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) and the Department of

Climate Change and Energy Efficiency (DCCEE).

Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI), together with the CFF program, will provide economic incentives and support for farmers and land managers to lower greenhouse gas emissions and/or store carbon in the landscape. The CFI is a carbon offsets scheme that is part of Australia’s carbon market and allows farmers and land managers to create carbon credits by sequestering carbon or reducing greenhouse gas emissions. These credits can then be sold to parties wishing to offset their emissions,

Infrastructure sustainability trends • Sustainability is inherently a complex

concept, which can be quite nebulous and difficult to understand, apply and measure. Nationally and inter-nationally stakeholders associated with a range of industry sectors and activities, have researched and developed sector or activity specific sustainability frameworks and guidelines. These guidelines are generally meant to “de-mystify” sustainability at appropriately applied levels to ensure that tangible and measureable financial, environment and social outcomes are delivered. A current case in point is the global trend in the infrastructure space where various schemes have or are currently being researched and established, along with associated guidelines and performance rating mechanisms to evaluate and communicate sustainability performance at design, construction and operations. Examples of this trend include:

• In the UK, the Civil Engineering Environmental Quality Assessment and Award Scheme (CEEQUAL), which was launched in 2003

• In the US, the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure and associated sustainability rating system, launched in 2011

• Australia is also about to launch an Infrastructure Sustainability rating scheme and associated manual and tool, which has been developed by the Australian Green Infrastructure Council (AGIC) in collaboration with key infrastructure industry stakeholders in both the public and private sector. The AGIC scheme is going to be officially launched by the Honourable Anthony Albanese, Leader of the House and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, on the 29th of February 2012 at Parliament House, Canberra.

For more information go to:http://www.agic.net.au/

or contact Antony Sprigg Technical Discipline Manager Sustainability

and Climate Change 0414 454 723

[email protected]



either as part of a voluntary commitment to become carbon neutral, or to reduce their liabilities under the Carbon Pricing Mechanism (CPM). Farmers and landholders are exempt from direct liability under the CPM and can participate in the CFI entirely at their option.

What does the CFI mean for land managers and farmers? The CFI comprises a positive list of sequestration and emissions reduction activities that are deemed to meet an additionality test, and a negative list of activities that are not additional (meaning that they are regarded as “commonplace”, or otherwise required under existing legislation and therefore anticipated to occur in the absence of a carbon payment). Provision exists for amendments to be made to these lists on application.

Positive list projects may apply for accreditation based on methodologies approved by the Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency on recommendation of the Domestic Offsets Integrity Committee. Following accreditation, projects may produce Kyoto- or non-Kyoto Offsets (also referred to as Kyoto Australian Carbon Credit Units or non-Kyoto Australian Carbon Credit Units) for the compliance or voluntary carbon markets respectively.

The creation of Kyoto or non-Kyoto is dependent on project boundaries, land use and activity definitions, as set out in the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Act 2011 and Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Regulations 2011. International evidence suggests that in the absence of Government intervention, non-Kyoto offsets will trade at a substantial discount to Kyoto offsets.

Any proponent may submit a methodology to the DOIC for review, who, after a consultation process, may either reject the methodology or recommend it for approval to the Minister. The first methodologies to be approved have been sponsored by the DCCEE as proponent and can be considered to be simple and conservative, to facilitate early take up. Other methodologies are being developed as part of transitional arrangements for projects previously

approved under the Greenhouse Friendly Programme and NSW Greenhouse Gas Abatement Scheme. Proponents of new technologies and processes are either tailoring methodologies under the Clean Development Mechanism or developing completely novel methodologies for consideration by DOIC.

Note: Other UNFCCC methodologies have been approved for activities that are not currently on the CFI “positive” list.

Once methodologies are approved, proponents may submit projects to the DOIC for accreditation. At this early stage, no projects are yet accredited, and consequently no KACCU’s have been issued.

DAFF has the dual roles of providing customer services to the agriculture, food, fisheries and forest industries, and addressing the challenges of natural resource management. DAFF’s role is to help industries under its watch become more competitive, profitable and sustainable, hence its driving role in the CFF and the related CFI programmes.

What does the CFI mean for landfill operators? The CFI is also the offset mechanism which covers the greenhouse gas emissions generated through the decomposition of organic waste in landfills.

As part of the Federal Government’s Clean Energy Future plan to cut carbon pollution, landfill facilities with direct emissions of 25,000 tCO2-e or more per year will be liable under the carbon price, when it comes into effect on 1 July 2012.

Landfill site operators will soon be able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from landfill and at the same time, generate extra revenue under the new Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI). Under the CFI, landfill operators will be able to create carbon credits by capturing methane emissions to produce electricity for sale to the grid, or destroy it through flaring. Credits created under an approved methodology1 are expected to exceed the carbon price liability on the landfill waste sector in the period to 2020.

The CFI landfill gas methodology has been developed in close consultation

with local government and industry and provides clear guidance for projects to create carbon credits by capturing these potent methane emissions from legacy waste or destroying it through flaring.

Many landfills are already taking action to reduce methane emissions. Even so, the waste sector produces around 15 Mt CO2-e each year and this is equivalent to three per cent of Australia’s emissions.

Landfill operators can reduce their carbon liability or in some cases avoid liability all together by reducing their emissions below the threshold. Activities that reduce emissions include capturing landfill gas to generate electricity, flaring methane, waste diversion, recycling and composting.

In general, companies can only use CFI credits to cover up to five per cent of their emissions under the carbon pricing mechanism. However, the Government has agreed that landfill facilities will be able to use CFI credits to meet 100% of their carbon price obligations.

It is estimated that the waste sector could generate enough CFI credits to meet the waste sector’s entire carbon price liability in the period to 2020. It can be applied to both new and existing projects, including those that might be transitioning from other offset schemes such as the Federal Government’s Greenhouse Friendly program and the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Scheme.

1 - Methodology for the capture and combustion of methane in landfill gas from legacy waste

The article was prepared jointly by SLR Consulting and Exigency

For any further information please contact:

SLR Consulting Technical Director Climate Change – Arek Sinanian p: 0417 928 938

Technical Discipline Manager Sustainability and Climate Change – Antony Sprigg p: 0414 454 723

Exigency Director – Stuart Allinsonp: 0413 873 202


SLR Consulting is a leading international environmental and infrastructure consultancy that provides high quality tailored services. Provision of advice on sustainability issues requires a

holistic view of the world and as such, a significant number of SLR’s technical disciplines provide advice, often as part of an integrated team of sustainability specialists, on sustainability issues to

clients in the private and public sectors.

www.slrconsulting.com.au

Sustainability Capabilities

Sustainability assessments (projects/materials/designs)

Sustainability guidelines/specs (commercial/industrial/residential)

Resource efficiency (baseline to business case - energy/water/waste)

Systems design and support (measurement/monitoring/reporting)

Options analysis

Carbon and Climate Change Capabilities

Carbon assessments, measurement and reporting

Carbon abatement

Climate change impact planning - risk assessment to adaptation

Climate variable modelling and impact assessment

Antony Sprigg 0414 454 723 Arek Sinanian 0417 928 938



Murray Darling Basin Commission

FOLLOWINGTHE FLOODSthe effects of the 2010 floods

That Australia is a land of droughts and flooding rains has truly been demonstrated in the Murray–Darling Basin system over the past year. Over the past 12 months, Basin communities have lurched from severe drought to record-breaking floods, with devastating impacts on people’s lives. This article looks at these recent rain and flood events to reveal some of the hydrological and environmental characteristics of the Basin’s unique landscape.

When heavy rains flooded vast

areas of northern Australia during the summer of 2009–10, it was generally expected that the water would make its way south and bring relief to drought-stricken environments and communities in the southern Murray–Darling Basin.

In reality these initial floods had little impact on major dams in the

northern Basin and only a modest, but welcome, impact on the Murray system.

The summer of 2010–11 has seen further heavy rains falling over eastern Australia, creating major floods in many areas with devastating effects on towns and communities.

While these communities are currently counting the terrible human and economic costs of these floods, it is not yet known what environmental and hydrological impacts will

be seen in the Murray–Darling Basin.

SO WHERE DID ALL THIS WATER GO? The Murray–Darling is Australia’s largest — and one of the world’s major — river systems. Despite its size, it is, however, small in terms of water discharge (or runoff). On a global scale, Australia (together with southern Africa) experiences higher runoff variability than any other continent. On average, just 5% of the rain that falls in the Basin ends up in its rivers.

The headwaters of both the Murray and Darling rivers start in the mountains of the Great Dividing Range. These mountains are not high by world standards, and the Darling and Murray rivers flow over plains for much of their length. This is particularly true in the Darling (the northern) catchment of the Basin.

Many Australian rivers also have extremely low gradients, so under normal conditions water moves down them slowly. During floods, water can travel



even more slowly because it meanders through the floodplains — kickstarting plant and animal life in floodplain forests, wetlands and billabongs, and recharging aquifers.

Rain in the Basin’s northern catchments can only connect to rivers in the southern Basin through extreme and sustained periods of water flow — which is what we experienced in late 2010 and early 2011. While they are a natural occurrence of the Basin’s hydrological and environmental character,

these extreme water flows can have devastating consequences for Basin communities and the national economy.

The Darling River is unusual in that its channel narrows rather than broadens as it travels downstream. When a large amount of water flows through the Darling system, it spills over riverbanks and onto floodplains; most of this water spreads out, filling shallow lakes, seeping into the ground, evaporating or being used by vegetation.

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Menindee Weir — water is held back here to fill lakes Pamamaroo and Wetherell. The flood peak reached the Menindee Lakes in early May 2010, increasing their storage level to 88% capacity (photo by Arthur Mostead © MDBA)



Only a small amount of this water actually finds its way downstream — while the Darling captures runoff from tributaries in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales, on average it contributes just 12% of the River Murray’s flow downstream of Wentworth, New South Wales.

It can take up to three months for floodwater to travel from the headwaters of the Darling River to the Menindee Lakes, a system of nine natural lakes modified for water storage on the Darling River in south-west New South Wales, because the Darling falls at less than 10 centimetres per kilometre. The final volume of water reaching the Menindee Lakes greatly depends on how much is lost through evaporation and floodplain absorption as the floodwaters move slowly downstream. How much water reaches the Menindee Lakes and how long it takes to get there is difficult to predict. No two floods are the same and each tributary responds differently.

THE FLOODS OF DECEMBER 2009 TO JANUARY 2010 AND MARCH TO MAY 2010 Late in December 2009 and early in January 2010, heavy rain in the north of the Murray–Darling Basin caused flooding in northern New South Wales, particularly in the Castlereagh, Namoi and Culgoa rivers.

About 1,000 gigalitres (A gigalitre (GL) is a billion litres) reached the Menindee Lakes; about 600 GL of this passed downstream, with about 500 GL reaching the River Murray and being captured for future water supply at Lake Victoria, about 60 km downstream of the Murray–Darling junction near the South Australian and New South Wales border.

By the end of this flood, storage in the Menindee Lakes had increased from 9% capacity to 32%, or about 550 GL.

In late February and early March 2010, further heavy rainfall in the northern Basin, particularly in southern Queensland, caused widespread major

flooding in the lower Condamine, Balonne, Maranoa, Warrego and Paroo rivers. The peak flow at St George, on the Balonne in southern Queensland, of 255 GL a day was at that time the highest on record. By May, a small volume of water from the Paroo started to flow into the Darling, joining the two rivers — a rare event that has occurred on only a handful of occasions since European settlement began.

While the tributaries of the Darling often experience periods of very low or no flow, about 6,700 GL passed the downstream gauges in Queensland during the March-to-May flood. However, only 18% of this flow reached Wilcannia, partly because many of these northern tributaries are not well connected to the Darling River and contain lakes and wetlands that capture water as it travels downstream. The floodwaters also had to travel long distances over parched floodplains in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales; because these

The Menindee Lakes water storage system The Menindee Lakes water storage system is located on the Darling River, about 250 km upstream of the junction of the Darling and Murray rivers.

The Menindee Lakes consist of nine lakes, but water is generally stored in the four largest lakes — Pamamaroo, Wetherell, Menindee and Cawndilla.

Before the Menindee Lakes storage scheme was built, the lakes filled naturally during high river flows and then gradually dried to form a series of pools.

The Menindee Lakes were modified in the 1950s and 1960s to provide Broken Hill with a reliable water supply and to supply water for irrigation to New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

Flows enter the system through Lake Wetherell, and then flow through to lakes Pamamaroo, Menindee and Cawndilla. Releases to the Darling are made from lakes Menindee, Pamamaroo and Wetherell, while releases to the Great Darling Anabranch are made from Lake Cawndilla.

The lakes are controlled by New South Wales until they reach 640 GL (or 37% of capacity) when the Murray–Darling Basin Authority takes over their management, with water shared between New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. When the capacity of the lakes falls back below 480 GL, control reverts to New South Wales.

The final value for 2010–11 Menindee inflow is not yet known, but indica-tions are it will trend higher than the value in 2009–10, but this will still be significantly lower than many historic inflow volumes recorded during the past century



floodplains absorbed a lot of water, the severity of the floods downstream were significantly reduced.

The flood peak reached Menindee Lakes in early May, adding 1,200 GL to them and increasing their storage level to 88% capacity. The two larger storages — Lake Menindee and Lake Cawndilla — received water for the first time since 2001. In the previous nine years only the upper lakes in the Menindee system were used to store water (see sidebar).

As water flowed down the rivers, about 1,500 GL was legally diverted into private storages. Volumes in the major state storages of the northern Basin increased by only a small amount — about 240 GL — because most rain fell downstream of these.

By the end of June 2010, public storages across the Basin, including the Menindee Lakes, were at about 38% capacity, or 3,285 GL, much higher than the 14%, or 1,200 GL, capacity recorded the previous June, but still

well below the long-term average of 5,530 GL.

A proportion of water from the first flood in the Darling River was delivered to the Lower Lakes at the terminus of the Murray–Darling system, which increased their level from 0.9 metres below sea level in late January 2010 to 0.2 m below sea level in July. As the lakes were still below sea level, no water flowed out the Murray Mouth to sea.

So, despite the welcome summer and autumn rains in the Basin’s north, many irrigators, as well as the environment, in the southern part of the Basin still faced drought conditions at the end of June 2010.

FROM DROUGHT TO FLOODING RAINS Demonstrating the variability of Australia’s climate, the turnaround from drought to flood began in July 2010, when good rain across much of the Basin throughout winter, spring and into summer shifted conditions from dry to very wet — with flooding in many Basin rivers, including the upper Murray,

Murrumbidgee, Macquarie, Queanbeyan, Castlereagh and Namoi rivers in New South Wales, and the Ovens, Kiewa, Campaspe, Loddon and Goulburn catchments in Victoria. High flows were also experienced along the Weir, Moonie and Warrego rivers and, at the end of the year, very large floods returned to southern Queensland, with the Condamine and Balonne rivers and some of their tributaries affected.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, 2010 was the Murray–Darling Basin’s wettest year on record (see maps 1 and 2). Rainfall was very much above average over most of the Basin during the year, with some areas recording their highest annual totals on record. For example, Surat in south-western Queensland recorded 1,127 millimetres of rainfall compared with its long-term average of 571 mm; Orange in central New South Wales recorded 1,592 mm, compared to its long-term average of 936 mm; and the annual total at Mildura in north-western Victoria was 597 mm, about

twice its long-term average of 286 mm.

By the end of December 2010, water storages across the Murray–Darling Basin were at 82% capacity, with most at full capacity. Storage in Hume Reservoir on the River Murray near Albury, New South Wales was at 100% (3,005 GL), with the dam spilling to pass the high inflows. The Menindee Lakes on the Darling River in New South Wales were also at 100% capacity, with water being released to manage further expected high inflows in early 2011. Dartmouth Dam on the Mitta Mitta River in Victoria, with a capacity of 3,856 GL (the largest storage in the Basin), had increased its storage from 31% to 56% since January 2010; the comparatively smaller increase, despite the wet conditions, due to its substantial volume relative to its catchment area. When full, Dartmouth Dam can hold five years of average inflows.

LOWER LAKES — FLUSH WITH IMPROVED HEALTH The impact of flooding in

Map 1 Rainfall in the Murray–Darling Basin, 1 January to 31 December 2009 (image courtesy of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology)

Map 2 Rainfall in the Murray–Darling Basin, 1 January to 31 December 2010 (image courtesy of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology)



the northern and southern parts of the Basin was felt at the Murray Mouth by early August 2010, with Lake Alexandrina above sea level for the first time in three years. Continued high inflows enabled some water to be released from the Lower Lakes to the Coorong by early September. By the middle of October, both lakes Alexandrina and Albert had reached their full supply level, allowing water to be released through the Goolwa barrages into the estuarine Coorong and out the Murray Mouth every day — flushing out saline water and improving water quality in the Lower Lakes.

By December, dredging at the Murray Mouth to keep water flowing to the sea had stopped for the first time in eight years.

FLOODING PROVIDES LIFE TO THE PLAINS When dry floodplains are inundated, a series of events are triggered. Wetting dry soil releases a surge of nutrients. Within hours of wetting, the floodplains are swarming with tiny aquatic animals, many of them microscopic, which have lain dormant in the soil since the previous flood.

Within days, larger creatures, such as midge larvae, appear to feed on the small creatures and

decaying organic matter. In turn, these larger creatures provide food for bigger animals such as waterbirds that flock, often in their thousands, to the wetlands to breed. Isolated patches of water are reconnected with each other and with their parent rivers, joining habitats and creating breeding opportunities for fish and other aquatic species.

In the northern Basin, the floods of 2010 have brought significant environmental benefits for floodplain plants and animals. In May 2010 ,bird surveys of the Narran Lakes area recorded 39,000 grey teal (Anas gracilis), 4,500 whistling ducks (Dendocygna arcuata), 6,200 Australian wood ducks (Chenonetta jubata), 600 Pacific black ducks (Anas superciliosa) and 500 hardhead (Aythya australis), along with many nesting black swans (Cygnus atratus). At Lake Wyara in the upper Paroo catchment 21,000 pelicans (Pelecanus conspicillatus) were observed, most of which were nesting.

Thousands of whistling ducks, grey teal and other species were recorded throughout the Darling wetlands upstream of the Louth–Tilpa road. About 500 straw-necked ibis (Threskiornis spinicollis) were nesting on a lignum swamp at Toorale on

the lower reaches of the Warrego River.

In the southern Basin, internationally-recognised sites such as the Barmah–Millewa Forest have received a welcome dousing — the first sustained flooding for a decade — the effects of which are being seen in the vigorous growth of river red gums (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) and the appearance of thousands of waterbirds, including endangered species such as the great egret (Ardea alba) and intermediate egret (Egretta intermedia), which are now nesting in the flooded forest wetlands.

The cycles of wet and dry continue to influence the environment and people of the Murray–Darling Basin. The past 12 months have seen a dramatic change in the Murray–Darling Basin environment, from record drought to widespread flooding. The impact of these floods on communities throughout the country has been devastating, reminding us how unpredictable the environment can be and that, with only 119 years of written records, how much we still have to learn about the Basin and its complex systems and requirements.

As published in the Geography Teachers’ Association of Victoria Journal.

Blackwater fish deaths, a side effectWhile flooding has brought enormous environmental benefits to thirsty wetlands and floodplains across the Murray–Darling Basin, it has also had its downside.

Blackwater events in the Murray–Darling system have resulted in depleted dissolved oxygen in river waters causing Murray crayfish (Euastacus armatus) to leave their homes and resulting in small and large-scale fish deaths in many river reaches.

Blackwater events occur when widespread flooding washes large amounts of organic material, such as leaf litter accumulated from years of drought, into rivers.

The breakdown of leaf litter plays an important ecological role because it transfers nutrients back into the river system, promoting the growth of many aquatic organisms.

However, the process can result in very low dissolved oxygen levels, which causes fish deaths as well as water discolouration.



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“Following the 2008

flood event in our region,

Greenspan provided services

in the specialist area of

Flood Warning Systems and

demonstrated to Council their

expertise in the operation of

BOM real-time ALERT flood

warning systems. They also

provided Council with the

skills / information to access

valuable logged data during

a flood event from each of

the installed stations within

minutes.”

Mark Crawley

Chief Executive Officer

Isaac Regional Council

Did You Know….During the past 3 years, more

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Over millennia Indigenous Australians have sustainably

managed our lands, waters and natural resources for the health of our countries and our peoples. We have understood the importance of water and its centrality to life and have cherished it accordingly. Our traditional ecological knowledge, like our stories, is passed down from generation to generation. This knowledge has allowed us to live in a symbiotic relationship with the land and water. We use it, we live from it, we nurture it. Historically our use was sustainable, and this continues today – where it can.

But there is a distinct difference between how we manage and look after our environments and sites, and the way non-Aboriginal people see and manage them. For us, right across Australia, there are

many cultural signposts that along with our stories guide our interaction with the environment. Our trees, ceremonial grounds / Bora rings, and rivers mark boundaries for clans and nations. Our trees are carved with our stories – our lore – and mark boundaries as well as secret and sacred areas. Unfortunately, these cultural signposts have not always been respected as they should be.

In the past, our rivers were travelling highways for trading between nations and movement through our country. Rivers were places for initiation and birthing – places to connect our peoples and nations through story, song and dance. Our ceremonial grounds, our Bora rings, have always been near the rivers. Sadly however, many of these have been ploughed into the ground to make way for crops, sheep and cattle grazing, without any thought of, or engagement with, the descendants of

the Traditional Owners.

The wetlands are our supermarkets and contain significant ceremonial sites for both women’s and men’s business. In the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) alone, 11 wetlands have been shut down and disconnected from the Basin’s river systems. This is a sad state of affairs.

Aboriginal people haven’t been approached to explore how they can manage the long-term protection of significant sites within these wetlands. When it comes to the protection of the environment and our culture and heritage, our voice is being left out. For too long our lands, our waters, and our resources have not been used sustainably. Our people are suffering because we can no longer access the water that we have traditionally used. Our culture and our countries’ environment are being destroyed.

Thankfully, when it comes

to water at least, Australia as a nation has more recently come to realise the errors of its past and introduced two key pieces of legislation. In 2004, faced with the prospect of climate change and its history of mismanagement, the Australian Government together with the states and territories commenced the most significant water reform in the nation’s history. They introduced the National Water Initiative (NWI), which explicitly recognises the need to identify Aboriginal water values and which I discuss in greater detail later.

THE MURRAY-DARLING BASIN Then in 2007, the Australian Government introduced the Water Act, the principal focus of which is the allocation of water resources in the basin area of Australia’s most iconic and largest river system, the Murray-Darling. The MDB covers an area more than four times the size of the United

Phil Duncan, Chair, First Peoples’ Water Engagement Council

FIRST PEOPLES’ WATER ENGAGEMENT COUNCIL

Phil Duncan is the Chair of the National Water Commission’s recently established First Peoples’ Water Engagement Council. This is an edited extract of his keynote address to Riversymposium 2011.



Kingdom, and incorporates the traditional lands of at least 34 Aboriginal nations, including my own, the Gomeroi Peoples. The Aboriginal peoples of the Murray-Darling Basin continue to maintain strong connections and relationships to our traditional lands, waters and natural resources.

The reforms planned for the MDB present a real opportunity for Australia to recognise and learn from our peoples’ traditional ecological knowledge and connections to our countries. For our peoples, it also presents an opportunity to right some of the past injustices and ongoing inequities suffered by the Aboriginal peoples of the Basin.

As is recognised in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, we have a right to our traditionally owned lands, waters and resources, and a right to maintain and strengthen our relationships to them. We also have a right to

redress and compensation for those lands, waters and resources that have been taken from us without our free, prior and informed consent. We recognise and reaffirm these rights as the principles for improved water governance and integrated water management in Australia.

THE FIRST PEOPLES’ WATER ENGAGEMENT COUNCIL AND THE WAY FORWARD The First Peoples’ Water Engagement Council (FPWEC) was established in 2010 by the National Water Commission to provide advice on Indigenous water issues. The Council is calling for recognition of the inherent rights and entitlements Aboriginal peoples have to water. It supports the Aboriginal nations of the MDB in calling for Aboriginal water allocations for ‘cultural flows’ and economic benefits. These water allocations are rightfully ours and must be legally owned by our peoples.

Allocations must be of sufficient and adequate quantity and quality to improve the spiritual, cultural, environmental, social and economic condition of our peoples. We must also be free to determine how we use our water – our connection to our water and our countries are complex and can only be determined by us. We don’t want all the water. We don’t want to destroy irrigation and farming, and the rural economies that support rural labour markets. We don’t want to deprive the environment. We simply want our fair share.

Similarly, our water rights and entitlements can no longer be relegated to, or confused with, the needs of the environment. In this age, the archaic and frankly offensive view of our peoples as part of the landscape cannot be used to undermine or limit our rights.

In addition to our rights to water as Indigenous peoples, as citizens we

have rights to water for domestic purposes. As former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has said ‘access to safe water is a fundamental human need and, therefore, a basic human right’. This right belongs to all and we as citizens have a right to enjoy it in addition to our specific rights to water as Indigenous peoples.

Governments must also address the impediments our people face in accessing our rights and entitlements to water. These barriers can prove insurmountable where basic infrastructure and capacity to navigate bureaucratic pathways is limited or lacking. Where impediments exist, the mere recognition of our inherent rights and entitlements alone is not enough. Rights and entitlements that are given without practical support for accessing those entitlements are just symbolic gestures.

At a time in Australia when the Commonwealth

Phil’s grandfather (above), Leslie Duncan of Terry Hie Hie Aboriginal mission. A proud Gomeroi man he is responsible for Phil’s teachings. He is standing in front of the tree he was born in next to Terry Hie Hie Creek.

Phil

Dun

can



Government has allocated billions of dollars to water reform, we are asking that some of those funds be spent assisting Aboriginal peoples with access to their rightful water. We encourage the governments of Australia to listen and learn from our country’s first peoples for the benefit of the Murray-Darling, other waterways and our environment.

The Rio Earth Summit’s Convention on Biological Diversity and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands both make it clear that Indigenous knowledge and participation in resource management is to be both respected and encouraged. Australia’s own National Water Initiative includes similar stipulations. Good work has been done in this area. The National Water Commission has established the First Peoples Water Engagement

Council and the Murray-Darling Basin Authority is consulting with the confederated bodies of both the Northern and Southern Aboriginal nations of the MDB.

However, when it comes to opportunities for Aboriginal people to engage meaningfully in the management of water resources, there is sometimes a chasm between perception and reality. The Aboriginal people are committed to the cause. The data from the last Census clearly showed that non-Aboriginal people are leaving rural and remote communities, while Aboriginal people are staying. They are staying because these are our traditional lands and environments. The population shift makes it imperative that Aboriginal peoples be engaged as equal stakeholders to

ensure the river systems are alive and well for our future generations.

Water is critical to keeping rural economies alive. In NSW alone, outside the metropolitan regions, 76 per cent of Aboriginal employment is in the rural or primary industry arena. We need to ensure the long-term sustainability of these labour markets. Making us an equal stakeholder in water will only assist this process.

THE NATIONAL WATER INITIATIVE In 2004 all Australian governments signed the world’s best practice blueprint for water reform – the National Water Initiative (NWI). The NWI explicitly recognises the need to identify Aboriginal water values, their water requirements and water provision for current or future native title claims.

While NWI parties have made progress in identifying all water user requirements and values, significant opportunities remain to:

• more effectively engage and consult with Aboriginal communities to better account for their water values and requirements in water planning

• encourage greater Aboriginal leadership in water planning and management issues.

Aboriginal communities and groups are often left out of the planning process, or not adequately consulted. As a result our needs, values and water uses are not being recorded and considered alongside others. This can erode confidence for both our people and other users, and undo all the effort that goes into making a water plan.

(Left) Map showing Bora Rings and their proximity to rivers and wetlands at Northcote Aboriginal Place.

Above: Gwydir Wetlands. Contain important Aboriginal cultural heritage sites.

‘We need to ensure the long-term sustainability of these labour markets. Making us an equal stakeholder in water will only assist this process.’



The governance structures for water planning frameworks rely on individuals representing our interests. They do not adequately account for our systems and customary law which dictate a broader base of involvement in decision making. Barriers to the effective implementation of NWI clauses include:

• lack of political and broader community understanding about Aboriginal water rights, values and management responsibility

• appropriate Aboriginal representation

• difficulties in quantifying Aboriginal water requirements

• lack of understanding and support for Aboriginal people in the water planning processes

• low levels of collaboration between Aboriginal people and water planning agencies.

Even where Aboriginal cultural values are clearly identified, the identification does not lead to any additional water requirements beyond those specified for environmental needs.

FPWEC 2011 BIENNIAL ASSESSMENT SUBMISSION The First Peoples’ Water Engagement Council (FPWEC) recently made a submission to the National Water Commission’s review of the implementation of the National Water Initiative. It recommended that Aboriginal people be given greater opportunity to be part of decision making and water planning processes including having:

• sufficient time to provide input and make decisions within each catchment

• culturally appropriate resources to build capacity, including the provision of information about water resource management, water

infrastructure, water sharing plans and markets and trading

• effective and collaborative partnerships.

It also recommended that Aboriginal people have access to water through special Aboriginal water allocations for purposes to be determined by the Aboriginal people. These should include cultural and economic purposes. This could be achieved though special purpose Aboriginal Economic Water Allocations from the consumptive pool. Culturally informed environmental priorities would be addressed through a separate cultural flows allocation.

We also proposed the establishment of an Aboriginal Water Fund or Trust to fund, coordinate and facilitate the acquisition and management of special Aboriginal Economic Water Allocations. The allocation of water entitlements to facilitate economic

development is a legitimate strategy to contribute to the Australian Government’s Closing the Gap agenda. Where systems are fully allocated, a fund could be established to enable Aboriginal people to enter into and compete in the market. Where systems are not fully allocated, alternative approaches like the Strategic Indigenous Reserves being set aside in the Northern Territory may be more appropriate.

The FPWEC is also committed to hosting a National Forum for Aboriginal Water in 2012. We hope to have all the key players from Aboriginal organisations and communities attend. At the forum we will be seeking to obtain a consensus on a range of water issues to present to the Australian Government.

Carved trees have been scarred by Aboriginal people for various purposes, from cutting out bark for a canoe to spiritual purposes. Very few carved trees remain today. They are said to be a history book and represent Aboriginal people’s soul.



®

www.verutek.com

S-ISCO® Technology – Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat advantages does Surfactant-Enhanced Chemical Oxidation add to conventional ISCO?

a.�Contaminant�desorption;�enables�greater�contaminant/oxidant�contact�with�hydrophobic�contaminantsb.�Source�zone�destruction�of�NAPL/recalcitrant�compounds�and�rebound�eliminationc.�VeruSOL�desorption�results�in�source�elimination,�reducing�total�oxidant�needed�over�project�lifetime�compared

to�conventional�chemical�oxidation�treatment.��VeruSOL�added�to�hydrogen�peroxide:•��Aids�stabilization�and�longevity�of�reactions•��Requires�lower�peroxide�dosing�in�each�treatment•��Decreases�exothermic�reactions�resulting�in�safer�implementation�and�oxidant�destruction.��

Can S-ISCO be applied at sites with roadways, utilities and structures? S-ISCO�is�a�customizable�solution�that�may�be�applied�at�neutral�pH�to�ensure�compatibility�with�surrounding�structures�and�utility�lines

How long is a typical treatment period?Treatment�length�varies�based�on�site�conditions�but�typically�injection�periods�last�between�1�week�and�2�months.

How does the cost of S-ISCO compare to ISCO treatments, thermal treatments and excavation?S-ISCO�treatment�is�generally�the�most�cost�effective�solution�at�sites�with�source�zone�contamination�from�hydrophobic�organic�contaminants�and�sites�where�contamination�is�at�depths�greater�than�20�ft.

Does S-ISCO lead to contaminant mobilization?VeruTEK�S-ISCO�treatments�have�not�mobilized�contamination�in�any�implementations.�During�S-ISCO�injectionsthe�surfactant�and�activated�oxidant�travel�together,�or�coelute,�in�the�subsurface.�e�surfactant�desorbs�and�emulsifies�the�contaminant�from�the�soil�while�free�radicals�(generated�from�a�catalyzed�oxidant)�begin�breaking�thecontaminant�bonds�apart.�e�emulsion�oxidation�takes�place�over�2-8�weeks.Typically�groundwater�flow�is�not�fast�enough�to�carry�the�emulsion�off�site�prior�to�contaminant�destruction.�

VeruTEK Technologies Innovative Chemistry

Ph: (03) 9555 3800 • www.erraus.com.au

• Field Proven Surfactant EnhancedChemical Oxidation

• Easy-to-apply • Safe to use in close proximity to

homes and buildings

Destroys organic contaminants including:• Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (NAPL)• Manufactured Gas Plants

(MGP) Wastes• Creosote – PAHs• Hydrocarbon fuels – Diesel,

Gasoline, # 2 & # 6 oils• Chlorinated Solvents – TCE, PCE

VeruTEK�Technologies�is�a�green�chemistry�company�with�a�field-proven�approach�to�addressing�a�broad�range�of�environmental�issues.�VeruTEK's�proprietary�technologies�arebased�on�time-released�surfactant�&�free-radicaloxidant�systems�that�achieve�safe,�efficient�andlower-cost�solutions�for�our�clients.

VeruTEK’s�patented�Surfactant�Enhanced�ChemicalOxidation�Process�incorporates�biodegradable,plant-based�surfactant/co-solvent�mixtures.�iscombined�chemistry�desorbs�soil�contaminants�–making�them�available�for�oxidative�destructionin�place�while�stabilizing�the�oxidant�for�improvedtreatment�performance.�

Rapidly Desorbs and DestroysSource Contaminants

VeruTEK’s remediation chemistry may be applied through three patented processes; • S-ISCO® (Surfactant�Enhanced�In�Situ�Chemical�Oxidation)�• S-ESCO™ (Surfactant�Enhanced�Ex-situ�Chemical�Oxidation)�• SEPR™ (Surfactant�Enhanced�Product�Recovery)

Full Scale Field Implementation ExampleFormer Roofing Products Manufacturer, Queens, New York, USAContaminants of Concern:

•�VOCs�(BTEX)�&�SVOCs�(PAHs�and�naphthalene)�related�to�MGP�coal�tar�in�soil�&�groundwaterClean-up Objectives:

•�Reduce�contaminant�mass�from�10-22�ft�bgs�to�enable�securing�a�Certificate�of�Completion�(COC);Treatment Program:

•�VeruTEK’s�Surfactant-enhanced�In�Situ�Chemical�Oxidation�(S-ISCO®)�with�VeruSOL®�and�alkaline-activated�Klozur®�persulfate

•�Wavefront’s�Primawave�pressure-pulsing�injection�enhancement�processResults:

•�Soil:�Destroyed�>90%�of�total�contamination�targeted,�including�95%�of�naphthalene;�•�Groundwater:�Reduced�on�and�off-site�concentrations;�no�NAPL�mobilized;�adjacent�river�protected

throughout;�Soil Vapor:

•�Significant�VOC�&�SVOC�reductions,�including�100%�benzene�&�naphthalene,�and�98%�BTEX;�Technology Fusion:

•�Successful�combination�of�S-ISCO�with�pressure-pulse�technology

NAPL is desorbed and emulsified by surfactant micelles

e micelles deliver theemulsified contaminantinto the aqueous phase

e emulsified contaminantis destroyed by the oxidant1 2 3

Soil

Contaminant

Green Surfactant

Catalyzed Oxidant

Micellular desorption, emulsification and contaminant destruction

Ground Water



®

www.verutek.com

S-ISCO® Technology – Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat advantages does Surfactant-Enhanced Chemical Oxidation add to conventional ISCO?

a.�Contaminant�desorption;�enables�greater�contaminant/oxidant�contact�with�hydrophobic�contaminantsb.�Source�zone�destruction�of�NAPL/recalcitrant�compounds�and�rebound�eliminationc.�VeruSOL�desorption�results�in�source�elimination,�reducing�total�oxidant�needed�over�project�lifetime�compared

to�conventional�chemical�oxidation�treatment.��VeruSOL�added�to�hydrogen�peroxide:•��Aids�stabilization�and�longevity�of�reactions•��Requires�lower�peroxide�dosing�in�each�treatment•��Decreases�exothermic�reactions�resulting�in�safer�implementation�and�oxidant�destruction.��

Can S-ISCO be applied at sites with roadways, utilities and structures? S-ISCO�is�a�customizable�solution�that�may�be�applied�at�neutral�pH�to�ensure�compatibility�with�surrounding�structures�and�utility�lines

How long is a typical treatment period?Treatment�length�varies�based�on�site�conditions�but�typically�injection�periods�last�between�1�week�and�2�months.

How does the cost of S-ISCO compare to ISCO treatments, thermal treatments and excavation?S-ISCO�treatment�is�generally�the�most�cost�effective�solution�at�sites�with�source�zone�contamination�from�hydrophobic�organic�contaminants�and�sites�where�contamination�is�at�depths�greater�than�20�ft.

Does S-ISCO lead to contaminant mobilization?VeruTEK�S-ISCO�treatments�have�not�mobilized�contamination�in�any�implementations.�During�S-ISCO�injectionsthe�surfactant�and�activated�oxidant�travel�together,�or�coelute,�in�the�subsurface.�e�surfactant�desorbs�and�emulsifies�the�contaminant�from�the�soil�while�free�radicals�(generated�from�a�catalyzed�oxidant)�begin�breaking�thecontaminant�bonds�apart.�e�emulsion�oxidation�takes�place�over�2-8�weeks.Typically�groundwater�flow�is�not�fast�enough�to�carry�the�emulsion�off�site�prior�to�contaminant�destruction.�

VeruTEK Technologies Innovative Chemistry

Ph: (03) 9555 3800 • www.erraus.com.au

• Field Proven Surfactant EnhancedChemical Oxidation

• Easy-to-apply • Safe to use in close proximity to

homes and buildings

Destroys organic contaminants including:• Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (NAPL)• Manufactured Gas Plants

(MGP) Wastes• Creosote – PAHs• Hydrocarbon fuels – Diesel,

Gasoline, # 2 & # 6 oils• Chlorinated Solvents – TCE, PCE

VeruTEK�Technologies�is�a�green�chemistry�company�with�a�field-proven�approach�to�addressing�a�broad�range�of�environmental�issues.�VeruTEK's�proprietary�technologies�arebased�on�time-released�surfactant�&�free-radicaloxidant�systems�that�achieve�safe,�efficient�andlower-cost�solutions�for�our�clients.

VeruTEK’s�patented�Surfactant�Enhanced�ChemicalOxidation�Process�incorporates�biodegradable,plant-based�surfactant/co-solvent�mixtures.�iscombined�chemistry�desorbs�soil�contaminants�–making�them�available�for�oxidative�destructionin�place�while�stabilizing�the�oxidant�for�improvedtreatment�performance.�

Rapidly Desorbs and DestroysSource Contaminants

VeruTEK’s remediation chemistry may be applied through three patented processes; • S-ISCO® (Surfactant�Enhanced�In�Situ�Chemical�Oxidation)�• S-ESCO™ (Surfactant�Enhanced�Ex-situ�Chemical�Oxidation)�• SEPR™ (Surfactant�Enhanced�Product�Recovery)

Full Scale Field Implementation ExampleFormer Roofing Products Manufacturer, Queens, New York, USAContaminants of Concern:

•�VOCs�(BTEX)�&�SVOCs�(PAHs�and�naphthalene)�related�to�MGP�coal�tar�in�soil�&�groundwaterClean-up Objectives:

•�Reduce�contaminant�mass�from�10-22�ft�bgs�to�enable�securing�a�Certificate�of�Completion�(COC);Treatment Program:

•�VeruTEK’s�Surfactant-enhanced�In�Situ�Chemical�Oxidation�(S-ISCO®)�with�VeruSOL®�and�alkaline-activated�Klozur®�persulfate

•�Wavefront’s�Primawave�pressure-pulsing�injection�enhancement�processResults:

•�Soil:�Destroyed�>90%�of�total�contamination�targeted,�including�95%�of�naphthalene;�•�Groundwater:�Reduced�on�and�off-site�concentrations;�no�NAPL�mobilized;�adjacent�river�protected

throughout;�Soil Vapor:

•�Significant�VOC�&�SVOC�reductions,�including�100%�benzene�&�naphthalene,�and�98%�BTEX;�Technology Fusion:

•�Successful�combination�of�S-ISCO�with�pressure-pulse�technology

NAPL is desorbed and emulsified by surfactant micelles

e micelles deliver theemulsified contaminantinto the aqueous phase

e emulsified contaminantis destroyed by the oxidant1 2 3

Soil

Contaminant

Green Surfactant

Catalyzed Oxidant

Micellular desorption, emulsification and contaminant destruction

Ground Water



The Trust’s purpose• Strengthen understanding between science, policy and

stakeholders in, and build capacity in, water-system management.

• Support people who can speak for the rivers with clar-ity and credibility.

• Promote informed exchange and debate on important water-management issues.

• Build links between scientific and political communi-ties, to promote effective management of our river systems.

About the Trust• A Registered Environmental Organisation and tax-

deductible charity.• Supports initiatives in science/policy interface, and

debate and outspokenness if necessary.• Little money, lots of goodwill, and a great Board.

How the Trust came about• Launched on the anniversary of Peter Cullen’s death

with a generous donation from the Commonwealth via the National Water Commission.

• An initiative of a group of friends and colleagues of the late Peter Cullen.

• Now a Trust (managed by a not-for-profit company) aiming to build itself into a long-term organisation that will make a difference.

Contact detailsEmail: [email protected]: 02 6206 8606 Post: Peter Cullen Water & Environment Trust, Building 15, University of Canberra, ACT 2601Web: www.petercullentrust.com.au

‘This Land Our Water’, a collection of the last writings by Peter Cullen, is available from the Peter Cullen Water & Environment Trust. To order a copy, please email [email protected].

How the Peter Cullen Trust can benefit you

“(Peter Cullen) was provocative, constructive, brave … always grounded in good science”

Andrew Campbell of Triple Helix

“… he was someone to whom prime ministers looked for leadership”

Tim Flannery, The Age, 18th March 2008

• Meet the newly graduated Fellows of the Trust, and Fellows from 2010 and 2011, at the graduation dinner on Thursday 15 November at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra.

• Share an evening of wining and dining, with colleagues and acquaintances concerned with waters in urban and catchment environments.

• Talk with Friends of the Peter Cullen Trust and the Trust’s well-known Directors.

• Share a lovely dinner while listening to a prominent speaker (tba) (Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population & Communities).

• Make your contribution to the Trust’s funding by bidding for beautiful artworks or other gifts donated by Trust supporters and Friends.

To order tickets for the graduation dinner, contact the Trust office, [email protected]

ANNUAL EVENT AT THE NGA IN CANBERRA

Cost: $85 Friends of the Trust: $70



“(Peter Cullen) was provocative, constructive, brave … always grounded in good science”

Andrew Campbell of Triple Helix

“… he was someone to whom prime ministers looked for leadership”

Tim Flannery, The Age, 18th March 2008



The Peter Cullen Water & Environment Trust runs an annual Science to Policy leadership program:• An exciting two-part program involving training and mentoring of a cohort of potential Fellows of the

Peter Cullen Water & Environment Trust.• Topics include: communication, politics, ethics, policy, water management in stakeholders’ interests,

personal development, group interactions, working with stakeholders.• Each year’s group comprises outstanding people from across Australia in a range of occupations

(e.g. natural resources science, consultancy, policy, management, communication, etc.).• 2012 Stage 1 – (location tba), September 17 - 21.

• 2012 Stage 2 – Canberra, November 13 - 15.• Fellows of the Peter Cullen Trust are the participants who successfully complete the program.

• The program concludes with a graduation dinner, 15 November, evening, which this year is open to all interested people.

To apply to join the 2012 program, contact the Trust office, [email protected]

Science to Policy leadership program 2012

Senior Executive Refresher / Development ProgramBringing together water and environment leaders from across

various sectors to work together to learn from their mutual experiences. This program gives them time to think about how they can

optimise their leadership within their organisations. This program is starting in 2012.

‘Chatham House’ meetingsConfidential and unofficial gatherings of senior decision-makers

considering issues in natural resources management (with the benefit of their experience, understanding, knowledge and skills), with the aim of better cooperating to achieve goals across Commonwealth / State or

Territory / sector boundaries. This program is starting in 2012.

Conference Day organised by Friends of the TrustA conference on a unique and important topic, to be held on

15 November 2012, organised by Friends of the Peter Cullen Trust. Details to be advised.

Fellows Mentoring Program Unique to the Peter Cullen Trust, this program is an extension of the Science to Policy leadership program. Mentoring is arranged between

Fellows and Friends of the Trust, so that Fellows continue to be supported in their work at the science/policy interface.

A continuous program, open to Fellows only.

Mentoring Awards ProgramFor ‘rising stars’ who are not Fellows of the Peter Cullen Trust, this

program may be of interest. It is available to individuals, and to organisations that wish to develop their high-performing staff in water and environment fields who would benefit from one-to-one mentoring

with a participating Friend of the Trust. Available continuously.

Fellows’ initiatives and annual gatheringThe Trust makes funding available to the Fellows for small projects

where they work together to achieve a goal related to the aims of the Trust. Fellows meet at least annually as well as in regional groups, to

maintain and expand their network.Coordinators for 2012: Dr Philip Wallis, Dr Sarina Loo, via

[email protected]

To enquire, contact [email protected]

Stormwater wetland, Canberra suburbs


FELLOW’S NAME BASED FELLOWSHIP YEAR - PARTICULAR SPONSOR - SOME INTERESTSAndy Westcott ACT 2011 – UMCCC / ACTEW Fellow –environmental and catchment management issues to do with water. Anne Poelina WA 2011 – sustainable livelihoods and cultural development of Indigenous people in north-western Australia.Carolina Casaril Qld 2011 – climate change science, water policy, water stewardship.Chris Arnott Vic 2010 – practical management of sustainability; water stewardship; catchment management.Clare Taylor NT 2010 – water policy, water standards, stakeholder values.Deb Nias SA 2010 – community input to ecologically-sound environmental-water management.Dominic Skinner Vic 2011 – water quality and water management during drought in a working river.Geoff Vietz Vic 2010 – River Basin Management Society Fellow – management of urban stormwater in relation to receiving

waters and water harvesting.Jody Carew Qld 2010 – Dept of Environment & Resource Management Fellow – water legislation, policy and conflict in the

Murray-Darling Basin. Juanita Hamparsum NSW 2010 – practical catchment-wide water and natural resource management in the face of coal seam gas

exploration.Katherine Daniell ACT 2010 – water governance, water reform and climate change at the science/policy interface.Kaye Cavanagh Qld 2011 – waterway management programs in local government.Kirsten Shelly Qld 2011 – communicating at the interface of science and policy for water security and biodiversity.Linda Christesen Vic 2011 – Dept of Sustainability and Environment Fellow – policy advice in relation to water management.Margaret Ayre Vic 2010 – research into options for catchment management in a context of farms, rivers and markets.Mark Taylor NSW 2010 – teaching and research on water quality and riparian management, especially in relation to lead

contamination.Michael Douglas NT 2011 – research leadership in river and catchment management.Penelope Springham Qld 2010 – stakeholder issues for Indigenous people in relation to water and environment.Philip Wallis Vic 2010 – history and social learning in relation to water management and governance.Richard Benyon Vic 2011 – forest water use research, management and policy.Ross Hardie Vic 2010 – Purves Environmental Fund Fellow – development and evaluation of stream restoration, and related

policy.Sarina Loo Vic 2010 – Dept of Sustainability and Environment Fellow – investment and policy in relation to river and

wetland health and invasive species.Simon Treadwell Vic 2011 – SKM Fellow – ecology, ecological risk, management and rehabilitation in river environments.Stuart Richardson SA 2010 – SKM Fellow – the science of salinity and groundwater management and extraction in relation to policy

and community needs.Susan Madden NSW 2011 – communication of stakeholders’ issues in river management.Susie Williams WA 2011 – regional water planning, water reform, water allocation.Suzanne Long Qld 2011 – environmental policy for land and water in coastal catchments.Tamara Boyd Vic 2011 – communicating environmental and heritage values for rivers, wetlands and conservation areas.Tyler Smith NSW 2010 – insights into water management and issues, through online and oral story-telling.

Fellows (2010, 2011) of the Peter Cullen Trust

2011 Fellows of the Peter Cullen Trust



PROGRAM SPONSORS 2010, 2011Interactive discussions Certificates are presented at the dinner

Outdoor fun

BRIDGING SCIENCE, PEOPLE & THE ENVIRONMENT

www.petercullentrust.com.au



Certificates are presented at the dinner

BRIDGING SCIENCE, PEOPLE & THE ENVIRONMENT

www.petercullentrust.com.au



CRC CARE Pty Ltd

Head office: Building X (Environmental Sciences Building) University Boulevard University of South Australia Mawson Lakes SA 5095

Phone: (08) 8302 5038 Fax: (08) 8302 3124 Email: [email protected]

CONTACT: Prof. Ravi Naidu, Managing Director

SERVICES:CRC CARE is a research organisation developing cutting edge technologies to assess, prevent and remediate contamination of soil, water and air. CRC CARE provides industry with the opportunity to work with world class researchers to solve existing contamination issues and prevent future contamination.

CRC CARE works on real industry issues and can deliver solutions and outcomes based on the best research and evidence available. Collaboration with leading environmental research groups around the world gives it direct access to the latest international scientific developments.

www.crccare.com

EnviroCom Australia

Head Office: 42 McKechnie Drive Eight Mile Plains Queensland 4113

Branch Offices: Sunshine Coast QLD Sydney Melbourne

Phone: (07) 3488 9660 Fax: (07) 3488 9678Email: [email protected]

CONTACT:Paula Harrison National Manager Email: [email protected]

EnviroCom Australia® (EnviroCom) is an experienced environmental consultancy that has delivered education, research and training services to the public and private sectors since 1998.

EnviroCom provides integrated services, linking research, planning, development, delivery and evaluation as well as discrete or one off projects.

Envirocom’s staff are skilled in the provision of education program planning and delivery; strategic planning for education; education and community research; curriculum resource development; community behaviour change programs; corporate and business training and education; waste stream assessment and waste management planning.

SERVICES: Environmental Education, Training, Research and Planning

www.envirocom.com.au www.environdata.com.au

Environdata

Environdata Weather Stations Pty Ltd specialises in the design, manufacture and sale of automatic weather stations, weather sensors, including mounting hardware, weather station software and telemetry solutions. We have been in operation since 1982, and are proudly Australian Made and Australian Owned. Our weather stations and weather sensors are designed to last in the harsh Australian climate extremes, providing you with accurate, robust and reliable weather monitoring solutions.

We have built our reputation on providing high-quality professional, scientific and industrial weather stations and backing it up with the highest level of support for our customers, for the life of their equipment. Customers are seen as long term partners, and it is this long-term commitment that has ensured our customers return.

Environdata’s technical service department is available to upgrade, service, recalibrate and repair your system when required. We also have a dedicated service team to install, commission, repair and service your weather stations and sensors throughout Australia and overseas.

Our team of professionals will be happy to discuss your weather monitoring requirements, tailoring a solution to suit your needs!

Environdata Weather Stations - when the weather matters, talk to the experts.

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Environmental Remediation Resources (ERR Pty Ltd)

Head Office: 56/148 Chesterville RoadMoorabbin, Victoria 3189 PO Box 192 Moorabbin, Victoria 3189

Phone: (03) 9555 3800 Mobile: 0413 748 794 Email: [email protected]

CONTACT:Andrew Wollen Managing Director Lowell Kessel Contaminated Land Specialist

ERR is committed to supply and servicing of specialised equipment and resources to the environmental remediation and landfill industries.

Based in Melbourne, our competitive national offering covers a range of products and services, including: groundwater products for remediation and site assessment; groundwater mapping; passive soil gas surveys; pneumatic pumps & skimmers; oxidizers; mobile MPVE & SVE plant; air strippers; knockout separators; filtration vessels and filter media; surfactant & oxidant technology; system design, construction and installation services.

www.erraus.com.au

Greenspan

Head Office: 21 Lawson Crescent Coffs HarbourNSW 2450

Branch Offices: Sydney, Brisbane, Hobart, Newcastle Perth, Singapore, Malaysia, USA

Phone: (02) 6651 9830 Fax: (02) 6651 9831Email: [email protected] Greenspan is one of a few companies in the world, with the level of experience and broad range of technical expertise to undertake projects demanding a comprehensive understanding of every facet of the environmental data acquisition process. Recognised as a world leader, in the provision of environmental monitoring systems and associated technical and professional services, has resulted in advisory engagements in over 26 countries. Their Engineers will provide standard or customised solutions to meet your environmental monitoring needs, offering site investigation system design through to installation, test, commissioning and operation and maintenance services. Greenspan Teams sit in 10 locations including Singapore, Kuala Lumpur-Malaysia, Vancouver -Canada , Austin-Texas-USA and of course, Australia. Limited funds to invest in capital? Ask about Greenspan’s online web portal ENVAULT, where you can access data collected from your existing instruments or those supplied by Greenspan.

www.greenspan.com.au

International WaterCentre (IWC)

Head Office: Level 16 333 Ann Street Brisbane Queensland 4000

Phone: (07) 3123 7766Email: [email protected]

CONTACT:Mark Pascoe, CEO

The International WaterCentre (IWC) provides the most advanced education, training, applied research and knowledge services to develop capacity and promote whole-of-water-cycle approaches to integrated water management around the world.

IWC was created in 2005 as a joint venture of four leading Australian universities: The University of Queensland, Griffith University, Monash University and The University of Western Australia. IWC is supported by the Australian Government (Queensland). Because of its linkages with national and international networks and partners, IWC provides a breadth of expertise and experience rarely found in a single organisation.

IWC’s flagship program, the Master of Integrated Water Management, uses problem-based learning, case studies, field trips and industry placements to develop skills for integrated solutions in the real world. Graduates receive a co-badged degree from IWC’s four member universities.

IWC has conducted education, training and applied research projects worldwide including Australia, Asia-Pacific and Africa.

www.watercentre.org

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Queensland University of Technology (QUT)

Head Office: 2 George Street Brisbane Queensland 4000

Campuses at Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove in the inner city, and Caboolture.

Phone: (07) 3138 2000 Email: [email protected]

QUT is a leading Australian university with a strong professional emphasis in its course profile and a rapidly developing research reputation. QUT enrols 42,000 students – with some 20 per cent of total enrolments at postgraduate level and 15 per cent from overseas. QUT’s courses are in high demand, and graduates enjoy excellent job and career outcomes.

SERVICES:Tertiary education

PRODUCTS:

- QUT Business School

- Creative Industries Faculty

- Faculty of Education

- Faculty of Health

- Faculty of Law

- Science and Engineering Faculty

www.qut.edu.au

Soil Remediation Equipment (Dust Collector Rentals Pty Ltd)

Head Office: 29 Bromley Road Emu Plains NSW 2750

Phone: (02) 4735 7112 Fax: (02) 4735 7113Email: [email protected]

CONTACT:Toby Burns - DirectorJoe Keane- Operations

SERVICES: Dust Collector Rentals have been operating Australia and New Zealand wide for over 30 years, providing dust collecting solutions for a wide variety of projects, both big and small.

Our can do attitude, innovative engineered equipment, and specialised expertise has ensured that every endeavoured project has been a success for both the client and ourselves.

PRODUCTS: Dust Collector Rentals is the manufacturer of Serious purpose built sour soil defuming systems. They are rentable, portable and custom suited to you specifications. The Serious System captures, deodorises and defumes gaseousvapours from contaminated sour soil. Dust Collector Rentals can tailor this equipment from stock items to suit your site conditions in order to achieve the best result.Dust Collector Rentals have specialised rental equipment that can be used for the vacuuming of both hazardous and nonhazardous very dusty materials.

www.dustcollectorrentals.com.au

University of Ballarat

Head Office: Mount HelenBallarat, Victoria 3353

Campuses: Ballarat Horsham Ararat Stawell

Phone: 1800 811 711 Email: [email protected]

CONTACT:Marketing Officer, School of Science, Information Technology & Engineering

SERVICES: The University of Ballarat is a regional dual sector University, providing educational programs at both tertiary and TAFE levels. The University also has a strong research presence.

PRODUCTS: Programs available range from TAFE certificate level right through to Doctoral degrees in areas including:- Business- Education and Arts- Science, Information Technology

and Engineering- Manufacturing and Construction- Health Sciences (incl Nursing)- Human Services (incl Childcare)- Food, Land & Service Industries

www.ballarat.edu.au

IFC

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Get a head start

Use SmartGate to self-process through passport control when returning to Australia

If you are an Australian or New Zealand ePassport holder aged 16 or above, look for SmartGate at Darwin, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Melbourne, Perth and Gold Coast international airports.

Visit www.customs.gov.au/smartgate for more information.


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