Food for Thought at Graduation & Dinner
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BRI D GING NEWSLETTER OF THE Peter Cullen Water & Environment Trust Summer 2013 ISSN 2200-1654 www.petercullentrust.com.au No. 9 Food for thought at graduation & dinner Welcome to a new Friend Brian Clay OAM has accepted the Board’s An inland city irrigation resource management should speak out. In this invitation to become a Friend of the Peter centre in the Murray- Cullen Trust and to contribute from his Darling Basin was the regard Peter Cullen was unequalled.’ ... expertise and experience to help the Trust’s focus of a role-play by endeavours. Welcome! the 15 graduating Fellows ‘Ecology as a subject now of the Peter Cullen has a comprehensive knowledge base, rigorous Trust 2013, aiming to standards and contested New Fellows, new events present stakeholders’ ideas. I contend that points of view. The ecological knowledge, and new initiatives Fellows ‘represented’ ideas and predictions On behalf of the Trust I would like communities, industry, could be of great value to welcome the new Fellows who science, the environment to society... In my opinion graduated in November. They bring a ecology has a lot to offer and government, and their fresh set of skills and interests into the to improve planning, presentation generated already flourishing National Fellows numerous questions development and repair of ecosystems — natural Network, which now numbers 59! and comments from the Professor Sam Lake Together, as well as individually, the audience ofNo. leading 01 thinkers (Photo: Andrew Sikorski) and human-dominated.’ ... ‘Effective restoration is members of this growing band are in the water, environment making positive contributions to and government sectors. Afterwards, not easy as there are few guiding principles, the funding costs of Australia’s natural resources future. Fellows and guests shared dinner and effective restoration are high, and Since September there have been listened, bid and talked long into the night. restoration invariably requires numerous events, and this issue of Guest speaker was Professor Sam Lake, long-term commitment by the proponents and their funders. ... BRIDGING therefore is larger than Friend of the Trust and recently the usual. It has a catchment management second Australian (after Peter Cullen) Such a task requires champions, leaders.’ theme and articles invited from to win the International Society for Friends, a sponsor and Fellows. They Limnology’s Naumann–Thienemann Sam’s talk left us soberly reflecting that not all of the environmental damage we tell of interesting findings; conference Award for ‘making an outstanding outcomes; a book in preparation; cause can be fixed. Continued, p. 18. contribution to limnology (the scientific worthwhile initiatives; a framework study of inland waters) and for efforts for assessing mining impacts on in the conservation of aquatic systems CONTENTS, p. 2 onwards groundwater; publications and a ‘best and their biota’. Sam whirled diners paper’ award; and much more. through some of the ecological issues A blast from the past! 2 of freshwater catchments in the last Hattah Lakes: water at last! 3 Speaking of awards, we have just heard 40 years. With a PhD in neurobiology Repairing catchments together 4 that Dr Sarina Loo (a 2010 Fellow and of crustaceans Sam, as a freshwater Kimberley to Cape: a new initiative 5 now a Trust Director) was named the ecologist, has taught, supervised, 6th Lake Eyre Basin conference 6 2013 recipient of the Early Career propounded, led medium–long term Mining and water for GDEs 7 Excellence Award at the Australian studies via a ‘shifting entourage’ of Fellows’ news 8–10 Society for Limnology congress last postgraduates and research fellows More Fellows’ news: northern 11 week! Congratulations to Sarina — and and visitors, and influenced policy via Rethinking ‘science to policy’? 11 also to Geoff for ‘best paper’ (see p. 12). scientific committees. He also was an Urbanisation & streams; WSUD13 12 Seasons Greetings! May 2014 be environmental activist in several major The future for small urban systems 13 a year when Australians see more campaigns that, if little else, achieved the ‘Rivers of Carbon’ are ‘Rivers of Life’ 14 clearly that the medium and long-term ‘nebulous victory of helping people to 7th ASM conference (notice) 15 economic sustainability of our country is become aware of the need to protect New Victorian waterway strategy 16 dependent on the health of our natural and conserve the environment’. Sam told ISC3 uses remote sensing 17 environment. us that to have lively debates and reform, Graduation & dinner of the Fellows 18 ‘people knowledgeable in the The Trust thanks these sponsors 19 Dr Sandy Hinson, CEO areas of ecology and sustainable Letter from a Friend, Stuart Bunn 20 A blast from the past! by the Hon John Kerin AM, Friend of the Trust I am writing a book about the making of agricultural and natural resource management policy, 1983– 1991, along with some of my wilder impressions of days prior to my time as Minister for Primary Industry. The chapter on Land, Water and Forests is so long that I have had to split it. Trees were politically more precious than caring for our land and water resources, back in those distant days. One of the better manage the Basin via the Water valuable. My job in chairing meetings of problems Resources Council. Evan Walker had the MDB Council was to keep peace, for a Federal chaired a committee on salinity in ‘stitch up’ the State Ministers and tell Minister is that, Victoria and was a Minister in the new jokes at our post-Council meeting Constitutionally, Cain Government (Victoria). He was dinners. land water and forest management, au fait with water matters. Due to the My co-Minister, the late Senator Peter irrigation policy and agricultural co-incidence of ALP Governments at Cook, chaired more meetings than I, production policy lie with the States. State level in NSW, Victoria and South once the Portfolio expanded to take in None the less, I have had some Australia, Don Hopgood, Deputy minerals and energy from July 1987. Even experience with water policy. Premier of South Australia, and Senator then, it was penetrating my confused Gareth Evans, Minister for Resources, After deserting my loyal public in 1993, brain that the more we knew about convened a meeting in Adelaide, and a I chaired the NSW Water Advisory water, the more we needed to know first meeting of the lead-in to the MDB Council (WAC) for its life, 1996–2004 about water. [Ministerial] Council to establish the and was later a Member of the Board Murray-Darling Basin Commission took When the Primary Industries Research of the Southern Rivers Catchment place in November 1985. and Development Act passed the Management Authority (SRCMA). The Parliament in 1989, three cross-sectoral, WAC died a politically natural death I attended all but two Council meetings cross-cutting research corporations (the members were only talking to each until 1991, having chaired many, were proposed: Land and Water; Rural other) and I was not re-appointed to the once Gareth moved to finer tasks. Industries RDC; and Energy. The Land SRCMA, being politically unclean. Commonwealth Environment Ministers and Water Resources Research and attended spasmodically — forests were The WAC gave me an insight into the Development Corporation (LWRRDC) more pressing. State attendance was making of natural resource management came into being in 1990 and carried good and a lot was achieved, such as (NRM) policy at NSW Government level out sterling work. It was re-badged as the salinity and drainage strategy, which and the SRCMA taught me a lot about Land and Water Australia (LWA) by the removed quite a lot of salt. Some State the real world of the implementation of Howard Government, on the basis of Ministers had the odd ‘blue’ or two NRM and the dysfunction of the NSW instinct, not long after the Energy RDC but consensus was generally reached. Government at the time. was eliminated. (No doubt we now rely At Federation in 1901 South Australia’s on Wikipedia for research information With respect to the Murray-Darling main concern had been its access to on energy, but we do have lots of coal.) Basin and water shares, the blame MDB water. The Commonwealth, being A greater act of political vandalism game, state to state, was in full swing. statesmanlike, generally took the view occurred when the Rudd–Gillard However, Queensland wanted no part in that someone had to go into bat for the Government (whichever one it was) the management of the Murray-Darling ‘croweaters’ (SA), when push came to eliminated LWA — the latest drought Basin (MDB), believing that planning and shove, because downstream users need nearly being over. LWA like RIRDC was management was ‘socialism’ — but it to be protected from upstream users. was prepared to ‘observe’ any fiendish strongly leveraging its small public level About 1988–89, Ministers privately co-operation. The Victoria Liberal of funding and I believe was starting to agreed that no more diversions would Opposition and Victorian irrigators make real policy informing progress, take place. I regret I have not been blamed NSW; the NSW Government amassing much and adding to what was able to track down or prove this and irrigators blamed Victoria; and South coming from the water Co-operative commitment — but it is very clear in my Australia, at the end of the ‘drain’, was Research Centres, the most prominent mind, as foggy as it now is. By the time begging for some mercy. NSW was the of which was the one Peter Cullen made this was finally agreed (about 1994–96) most recalcitrant Government. When the his own and an intellectual inspiration to diversions had increased somewhat and ALP won government in Victoria in April us all.