Linking Science to Policy - Conference
The International Centre of Excellence in Water and Resource Management (ICE WaRM), the Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation (DWLBC), and the Chief Scientist of South Australia are proud to host a free conference on the theme of Linking Science to Water Policy.
The purpose of this conference is to explore how to improve the links between scientific endeavour and the development of public policy in the management of water. There will be an opportunity for you to put your perspective forward on this issue.
Visiting international presenters from Manitoba, Canada will provide a Canadian perspective and key players in the development of water science and policy in Australia will give an Australian perspective.
When: Thursday 20 November 2008, 9am - 5pm
Where: Stamford Plaza, Adelaide
This is a free Living Laboratories conference and places will fill fast.
For more information and the draft programme, please download the flyer
Conference presentations:
Andrew Johnson - Introduction and Welcome
Podcast
Hon Karlene Maywald MP - Science and the river: a political perspective
Presentation
Podcast
Ken Matthews - Linking science to water policy
Presentation
Podcast
Ian Chessell - Proposed Goyder Research Institute
Presentation - coming soon
Podcast
Steve Topping - Manitoba's progress towards 'living with the red'
Presentation
Podcast
Rhonda McDougal - Integrated watershed management for aquatic ecosystem health
Presentation
Podcast
David Paton - The Coorong: science and policies
Presentation
Podcast
Frances Simes - Pike: it's a place not a fish
Presentation
Podcast
Darren Willis - Developing new knowledge
Presentation
Podcast
Wayne Meyer - A researcher perspective: defining a new policy and science relationship
Presentation
Podcast
Ann Shaw Rungie - Science and water policy: observations from the field
Presentation
Podcast - coming soon
Conference Topics and Summaries:
Steve Topping - "Manitoba’s Progress Towards Living With the Red"
(Executive Director, Regulatory and Operational Services Division, Manitoba Water Stewardship)
The 1997 Red River flood was the largest flood Manitoba had ever experienced since the turn of the century. 2500 sq km of valley was flooded, 28,000 people evacuated, 250 homes were destroyed and 630 homes were flooded. Following the devastating flood of 1997 in the Red river Basin, the province of Manitoba and the Government of Canada immediately began a comprehensive flood damage reduction program. This program provided for community and individual flood protection works, improved science on understanding past and future floods, legislative changes to control development in the flood plain and the development of emergency management tools. It was also evident that the City of Winnipeg was extremely vulnerable to floods of the 1997 magnitude. The primary flood defense system was deemed to have a design capacity for a one hundred year flood which if compromised could causes damages in the order of $6 billion in 1997 dollars. The Province and the government of Canada are in the process of expanding the existing floodway to a 700 year flood frequency at a cost of $700 million dollars.
Rhonda McDougal - "Integrated Watershed Management for Aquatic Ecosystem Health"
(Director, Planning and Coordination, Ecological Services Division, Manitoba Water Stewardship)
When the new Department of Water Stewardship was formed, the Water Protection Act recognized the importance of applying scientific information in decision-making processes and the importance of watershed-based planning as an effective means to address risks to water resources and aquatic ecosystems. Policy decisions can have “adverse effects” on aquatic ecosystems when made without reference to a more holistic view of interconnected physical and social systems. Science has informed policy development and policy change in many areas of Manitoba Water Stewardship’s mandate. Policy areas that will be discussed include wetland protection and restoration, lake eutrophication and nutrient management regulation, carbon sequestration – influences of land management practices, green house gas mitigation and climate change adaptation, and the watershed as the unit for management.
Biographies:
Mr Ken Matthews AO (Chair and Chief Executive Officer, National Water Commission)
Ken Matthews has been the Chair and Chief Executive of the National Water Commission since March 2005. Mr Matthews was previously the Secretary of the Department of Transport and Regional Services and the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
Mr Matthews’ academic background is in economics, majoring in government (B.Ec. University of Sydney, 1974). Mr Matthews is a Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration and the Australian Institute of Management.
Mr Matthews received a Centenary Medal in 2001 for services to public administration and was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2005.
Hon Karlene Maywald MP(South Australian National Party)
As leader of The South Australian Nationals, Karlene Maywald is the Parliament’s sole National Party MP. Through an agreement with Premier Mike Rann, she was sworn in as a State Government Minister on July 23, 2004 and is currently the Minister for the River Murray and the Minister for Water Security.
She is passionate about restoring the health of the River Murray and ensuring water use from the river is sustainable. She believes over-allocation of water interstate must be addressed as a priority to return water to the system for environmental flows.
As part of her present ministerial responsibilities, she is managing the South Australian Government’s immediate response to the current extreme drought in the Murray-Darling Basin and its impacts on the river environment and local communities.
At the same time, she is overseeing $3.6 billion in investment in water security projects in South Australia.
This includes a desalination plant at Port Stanvac to supply one-quarter of Adelaide’s water needs, doubling the storage capacity of the Mount Lofty Ranges reservoirs, and further increasing our capacity to reuse recycled water and stormwater. She is also overseeing delivery of the State-Commonwealth partnership project, Murray Futures, which will support communities and help them to adapt to a future of reduced water availability and climate change.
Karlene chairs the Government’s Water Security Council, represents South Australia at the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council and is a member of the Premier’s Food Council.
Andrew Johnson
(Director Strategic Policy, Department of Water Land and Biodiversity Conservation)
Andrew Johnson is the Director of Strategic Policy in the Department of Water Land and Biodiversity Conservation. Andrew has over 25 years experience in natural resource and environmental management working in environmental impact assessment, soil conservation and land management, landcare and dryland salinity as well as water and natural resources management policy.
In recent years he has been the Director of Natural Resource Management Support and was responsible for implementation of the reform process associated with establishment of the Natural Resources Management Act 2004. He was concurrently Program Director for the Upper South East Dryland Salinity and Flood Management program, which has constructed over 450 km of drainage works to protect 40,000 ha of important wetlands and 600,000 ha of agricultural land.
As Director of Strategic Policy he is responsible for inter-state NRM and Murray Darling Basin policy arrangements as well as broader water, River Murray and NRM legislative reform within South Australia. He is currently a member of a wide range of national and state working groups and committees including MDBC Water Policy Coordinating Committee, Natural Resources Policy and Programs Committee and Chair of the Advancing Reconciliation Working Group.
Professor Wayne Meyer(Professor of Natural Resource Science at the University of Adelaide)
Wayne is the Professor of Natural Resource Science at the University of Adelaide. He joined the University in 2007 after 27 years with CSIRO.
Wayne is a product of rural South Australia, a graduate of the University of Adelaide and has post doctoral research experience in Texas and South Africa.
His research at Griffith, New South Wales in irrigated crop water use and application of crop simulation models lead to his appointment as Foundation Chair in Irrigation at Charles Sturt University.
In 1998, Wayne returned to CSIRO Adelaide as a Business Director and subsequently guided development of the CRC for Irrigation Futures as its founding CEO.
Wayne is the author of 77 international journal papers and he has presented at more than 100 national and international conferences and workshops. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology.
Steven Douglas Topping(Executive Director, Regulatory and Operational Services, Manitoba Water Stewardship)
Steve Topping is a 1980 graduate from the University of Guelph with a Bachelor of Science degree in Water Resource Engineering.
Steve provides leadership to a multi-disciplined team of professionals which are responsible for water development planning, regulation and management of the provincial water resources. He has been responsible for regional program service delivery of water control infrastructure rehabilitation, development, operations, flood forecasting and emergency flood fighting, having a staff compliment of 140 reporting to him. He has administered a $10 million annual operating budget and has had oversight on annual capital infrastructure projects funding in the order of $40 million.
Steve has been the Executive Director of the Department of Water Stewardship since 1996, accountable for managing the province of Manitoba’s water resources to optimize social, economic and environmental needs while adhering to the concept of sustainability of the resource. Specifically, Steve is responsible for administering and development of legislation and policies for the allocation of groundwater and surface water allocation, regulation of hydroelectric development, protection and conservation of the provincial water resources through regulation of drainage and developments with in the flood plain. A further responsibility includes The Office of Drinking Water which provides for the protection of drinking water sources and safety of drinking water.
Steve represents the province of Manitoba on inter-provincial and international agencies, specifically the Prairie Provinces Water Board, the Partners for the Saskatchewan River Basin Board, the National Hydrometric Administrators Table and International Joint Commission committees.
Prior to his posting with the province, Steve was employed with the Bow River Irrigation District in southern Alberta which entailed addressing all the engineering activities of the 210,000 acre irrigation district. As District Engineer he dealt with operation and maintenance of irrigation distribution systems and implemented the District’s $5.7million Irrigation Capital Works program.
Rhonda Louise McDougall(Director, Planning and Coordination, Manitoba Water Stewardship)
Rhonda McDougal graduated from Brandon University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Botany, and from the University of Manitoba with a Ph.D. in Aquatic Ecology.
Rhonda has been the Director of Planning and Coordination for the Department of Water Stewardship since 2006. Rhonda provides leadership to a multi-disciplinary team of professionals who address a broad range of water-related environmental, social and economic factors to provide holistic solutions that integrate scientific, engineering, planning, and regulatory expertise. Her branch is responsible for strategic planning, communications, geographic information systems support, website development, and policy and legislation development for the Department. Rhonda leads a number of community-based initiatives including the Conservation Districts Program, integrated watershed management planning and aquifer management planning. Rhonda is currently initiating a wetland restoration program with non-profit partner agencies. Rhonda and her staff are responsible for ensuring that there is broad-based community support for watershed initiatives and that Manitobans are provided with opportunities for meaningful participation in water stewardship decisions.
Prior to her posting with the province, Rhonda was a Research Scientist with the Institute for Wetland and Waterfowl Research of Ducks Unlimited Canada for five years. In this position, Rhonda developed and led the Agriculture and Wetlands Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a multi-agency national research program with a budget of over $5 million annually. Rhonda participated in the National Carbon Sinks Table, addressed the Senate Committee on Climate Change Affecting Agriculture, and coordinated research activities with eight universities in five provinces.
Frances Simes
(Pike Implementation Plan Coordinator, Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation)
Frances Simes is a committed champion of her community. She is here today because of her role as the Pike Implementation Plan Coordinator, Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation.
She is also a Community Board member of the S.A. Murray Darling Basin Natural Resources Management Board, where she also sits on a number of committees and Chairs the Policy Committee and the Chowilla Floodplain Icon Site Community Reference Committee.
Frances is a Local Councillor - District Council of Loxton Waikerie,1st elected in May 2000 for a third term where she Chairs the Development Assessment Panel and is a member of other Council committees
Dr Paul Dalby
(Consultant, Living Laboratories Program Coordinator, ICE WaRM)
Paul is a consultant to the International Centre of Excellence in Water Resources Management, where he coordinates the Living Laboratories Program. He is also a private consultant with In Fusion Consulting, whose clients include the University of Adelaide, DWLBC, NRM Boards and private businesses. He is a Board member of the Water Industry Alliance, an Advisory Board member to Irrigation Australia Limited and a Director of a number of private companies.
Ian Chessell
(Chief Scientist, South Australia)
Formerly Australia’s Chief Defence Scientist, Dr Chessell now holds the important position of Chief Scientist for South Australia, and co-Chairs the Premier’s Science and Research Council. Dr Chessell’s long and significant career in the Defence Science and Technology Organisation was recognised with the 2003 Centenary Medal for Services to Defence Science. He served as a member of the Prime Minister’s Science Engineering and Innovation Council between 2001 and 2003 – the same year he was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.
Ann Shaw Rungie
(Private Consultant)
Ann Shaw Rungie operates a private consulting practice facilitating solutions in water and natural resource planning and policy issues. She has over 30 years experience working with multiple stakeholders in governments, community and business in both urban and rural environments to help them achieve their objectives through innovative approaches to facilitation of policy development and stakeholder engagement.
Ann is interested in futures thinking and better decision making processes in relation to the way water and energy are used. Much of her work involves identifying the social and environmental impacts of change and ensuring that tradeoffs are negotiated to allow policy and projects to move forward efficiently. She has worked on water resource plans, water supply strategies, pipelining projects, irrigation and drainage schemes and flood mitigation strategies throughout Australia.
Ann will address links between science, water policy and decision making and influences on effective implementation, based on several case studies.
David Paton
(Conservation Scientist)
David Paton is South Australia’s leading conservation scientist. He has spent his career at the cusp of research, government and the community. He was the teacher for many of South Australia’s leading biologists, environmental managers and environmental activists. He has been awarded the SA Great Award for the Environment in 1999 and awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his service to conservation and the environment, and to education in 2008, among many other awards.
Darren Willis
(Environment Manager, DWLBC)
Darren Willis is currently the Environment Manager for the Upper South East Dryland Salinity and Flood Management Program in DWLBC. He has been instrumental in implementing a science based approach to the management of natural resources in this region, firstly in developing a Biodiversity Trading Scheme and secondly in creating an adaptive management approach to the management of water in the region.
