Monthly Archives: August 2015

Jenny Blencowe, Manager of the Research & Policy Unit at AMES to present at the Australian Regional Development Conference

  By Regional Development Conference • August 13, 2015

Jenny Blencowe, Manager of the Research & Policy Unit at AMES to present at the Australian Regional Development Conference being held at the Commercial Club Albury on the 26– 27 August 2015.

The Conference is an initiative of the Association for Sustainability in Business Inc., a non-Government ‘not-for-profit’ organisation.

Speaker Introduction: Jenni Blencowe has over 20 years’ experience working in the area of migrant and refugee settlement and with asylum seeker programs. Her early experience was in teaching and in managing education programs. More recently she has used her expertise in strategy and policy development to establish the AMES Research & Policy Unit – a group that manages evidence collection across the organisation, undertakes research and evaluation projects and works on policy development in areas impacting on newly arrived refugees and migrants.

Presentation Title: Small Towns, Big Returns: the economic and social impact of the settlement of a community of Karen refugees from Burma in the small rural town of Nhill, Victoria
Co-Author: Tony Doyle, Chief Executive Officer of Hindmarsh Shire Council, Terry Taylor, Research and Policy Officer at AMES and Nanthu Kunoo, Community Liaison Officer at AMES

Overview: A significant number of Karen refugees from Burma have been attracted to resettle in the small township of Nhill by the prospect of employment in a large local business and the chance to re-establish their lives in a rural environment. Research conducted by AMES and Deloitte Access Economics reports on the direct and indirect economic and social impact of the resettlement of the Karen in South West Regional Victoria.

The AMES/Deloitte report – Small Towns, Big Returns – describes the process of the Karen settlement and employment in Nhill and the value to both communities that has accrued. In the context of a focus, at all levels of government, on increased resettlement of migrants and refugees in regional Australia the research findings identify a number of conditions, both economic and social, that have supported the successful settlement of a community of refugees in rural Victoria. This provides important insights that can both create the case for, and inform planning of, planned resettlement in other Australian communities.

Parallel to the AMES/Deloitte research, the Hindmarsh Shire Council has developed a Karen Community Action Plan to guide the community, government and service providers to best assist the Karen people in their new and different life.

The plan acknowledges the Karen community’s importance in Nhill’s cultural diversity and the role they play in strengthening the local economy. It identifies key areas for improvement, change and growth. Critically, it represents Council’s continuing commitment to assisting the Karen community transition from life in refugee camps to making their home in Nhill. In delivering the actions in this plan, Council is committed to seeking continued input from the Karen community.

About the Conference: The Australian Regional Development Conference is an initiative of the Association for Sustainability in Business Inc., a non-Government ‘not-for-profit’ organisation. The 2015 theme is “Redefining the Future of Regional Australia”, it will explore the issues and opportunities facing Regional Australia today and into the future.

Concurrent streams will focus on the following topics:

  • Sustainability / Renewables
  • Population Movements
  • Community Development
  • Government Policy
  • Innovation
  • Infrastructure
  • Cultural Tourism / Regional Tourism Development
  • Free Trade Agreements
  • Transport and Logistics
  • NBN / Broadband Communication
  • Banking / Finance

To view and/or download the Australian Regional Development Conference program please click here.

Director of AURIN, Andrew Dingjan to present on ‘Harnessing Data to Support Regional Development’

  By Regional Development Conference • August 11, 2015 , , , ,

Andrew Dingjan, Director of AURIN to present at the Australian Regional Development Conference being held at the Commercial Club Albury on the 26– 27 August 2015.

The Conference is an initiative of the Association for Sustainability in Business Inc., a non-Government ‘not-for-profit’ organisation.

Andrew Dingjan

Andrew Dingjan

Speaker Introduction: Andrew was appointed Director of AURIN in March 2015.

He joined from CSIRO where he worked for 9 years in executive level business, technology commercialisation and research management leadership positions. Having worked across CSIRO’s Digital Productivity and Health Flagships and led a research team within CSIRO’s Mathematics and Statistics Division, Andrew’s contributions were substantial. Most recently as CSIRO Senior Technical Advisor to Boeing where he successfully negotiated and executed a $25million/5 year strategic research alliance, in the process, identifying an opportunity for a new line of business for CSIRO in network enabled manufacturing. Prior to that, as Research Theme Leader for the Decision Technologies Theme, Andrew successfully led the first forays for CSIRO’s decision sciences into the business & government ‘services economy’ resulting in the $20 million/ 3 year Department of Human Services (Centrelink) contract and the $6 million/3 year CSIRO-Monash Superannuation Research Cluster. In 2012 Andrew was corecipient of the CSIRO Medal for Research Achievement for his role in the successful commercialisation and licensing of a new aerospace technology.

Prior to joining CSIRO Andrew held Group Executive Level Marketing roles with a number of Australia’s largest financial institutions, including ANZ. His passion for R&D driven innovation was reinforced early on as Communications and Policy advisor to Australia’s original applied R&D business, Invetech Vision Systems. During this time Andrew was active in re-focussing debate in Australian industry on R&D investment levels as a percentage of revenue turnover and encouraging increased expenditure on product and process innovation as a means of achieving business advantage.

Andrew attended the University of Melbourne, was a resident of Trinity College, and graduated with a BA (Hons). He earned his MBA from RMIT University’s Graduate School of Management. He holds a Diploma in Corporate Management from the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators/Australian Graduate School of Management and is a 2013 graduate from the Boeing Executive leadership Program at the Boeing Leadership Centre in St Louis, Missouri.

Presentation Title: Harnessing Data to Support Regional Development: An Australian Case Study
Co-Author: John Barton, Urban Data and eResearch Officerat AURIN

Overview: As the environmental and demographic pressures are placed on our rural and regional communities, there is need for ambitious approaches to provide the right data and analytical tools to support smart regional growth and planning. This paper introduces the Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network which is currently enabling a network of researchers, planners and policy-makers from across Australia in evidence-based decision making, via access to an online workbench of data and tools. The workbench comprises of almost 2,000 datasets, over 100 spatial statistical routines, and a select number of planning support systems and geodesign tools. We will outline the data and analytical capability the online workbench, introduce a couple of the PSS tools and spatial statistical capabilities through a case-study approach which can be applied to the Australian regional context. We also discuss the user outreach and capacity building capability program which is a critical component to assist with user adoption. We conclude with some thoughts and suggestions on how previously urban-focussed research programs can be re-prioritised to support excellent decision making in our peri-urban, regional and remote communities.

About the Conference
The Australian Regional Development Conference is an initiative of the Association for Sustainability in Business Inc., a non-Government ‘not-for-profit’ organisation. The 2015 theme is “Redefining the Future of Regional Australia”, it will explore the issues and opportunities facing Regional Australia today and into the future.

Concurrent streams will focus on the following topics:

  • Sustainability / Renewables
  • Population Movements
  • Community Development
  • Government Policy
  • Innovation
  • Infrastructure
  • Cultural Tourism / Regional Tourism Development
  • Free Trade Agreements
  • Transport and Logistics
  • NBN / Broadband Communication
  • Banking / Finance

To view and/or download the Australian Regional Development Conference program please click here.

Dr Jim Cavaye from UQ to present ‘How Rural Communities can be Reframed to Foster Regional Development’

  By Regional Development Conference • August 7, 2015

A/Prof Jim Cavaye, School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Faculty of Science at The University of Queensland to present at the Australian Regional Development Conference being held at the Commercial Club Albury on the 26– 27 August 2015.

The Conference is an initiative of the Association for Sustainability in Business Inc., a non-Government ‘not-for-profit’ organisation.

Dr Jim Cavaye

Dr Jim Cavaye

Speaker Introduction: Dr Jim Cavaye is an accomplished practitioner, educator and researcher in community development with 30 years’ experience working with rural and regional communities. He has assisted over 120 local communities with community appraisals, community engagement processes, community planning and economic development strategies. Jim is an Associate Professor of Rural Development at the University of Queensland, Australia. He was formerly a consultant in community development and a Principal Rural Development Officer with the Queensland Department of Primary Industries. He is a board member of the Community Development Society.

Presentation Title: Redefining Rural Communities: How Rural Communities can be Reframed to Foster Regional Development

Overview: Rural community development efforts have long sought to encourage social entrepreneurship and innovation, make rural regions attractive to people, develop new models of service delivery, and foster economic diversification and opportunity. Many rural communities have demonstrated examples of community self-help and innovation, often based on local leadership, resources and voluntary effort. Yet, in many rural regions, community organisations often struggle to attract and retain volunteers, young people are generally not attracted to rural regions, service providers often struggle to provide services and infrastructure to a dispersed population, and economic opportunities remain limited.

This paper contends that the way rural areas are “framed” contributes to a narrowing of policy and development approaches. For example, the value of agriculture is often framed only in production of food and fibre rather than also in terms of environmental stewardship and social cohesion. Services in rural communities are seen as net costs, rather than as investments that can support community-based services and volunteering. Rural communities are seen as separate from urban areas rather than rural and urban communities being interdependent.

This paper describes dilemmas in regional development such as services based on population versus social justice, parochialism and community collaboration, and a focus of funding on needs can emphasise community deficits. It outlines how rural communities are often framed in terms of their minerals and agricultural production, and how feelings of cynicism and disengagement have developed.

The paper contends that fostering the vitality of rural communities involves redefining what rural means. This includes reframing the assets and role of agriculture, demonstrating rural innovation, redefining sustainability to include farm and business viability, having better mechanisms for the deliberation of rural issues and rethinking community participation and leadership. It describes options to develop a more enabling conception of rural communities that can better support engagement and empowerment.

To view and/or download the Australian Regional Development Conference program please click here.

A/Prof Patrick Beale to present on ‘Delivering high quality cost and climate effective buildings to regional and remote Australia’

  By Regional Development Conference • August 5, 2015 , , , ,

Associate Professor Patrick Beale Discipline Chair, Architecture at the University of Western Australia will present at the Australian Regional Development Conference being held in Albury on the 26– 27 August 2015.

Patrick Beale

Patrick Beale

Speaker Introduction: Patrick Beale Studied Architecture at the Architectural Association in London, and has practiced and taught Architecture and design in London, France, the Middle East, Scandinavia, North America and Australia where he is now based. At the University of Western Australia Patrick was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Architecture Landscape and Visual Arts in 2000, a position he stepped aside from to establish a timber research centre in 2005.

Over the past decade Patrick has worked with various sectors of rural industries and has directed a number of design projects directed at enhancing the value of native west Australian timbers and promoting the ecological and sustainable values of building in solid and engineered timbers. He currently directs the Advanced Timber Concepts Studio at UWA, a commercial design and research studio and a teaching entity.

Presentation Title: Delivering high quality cost and climate effective buildings to regional and remote Australia. The case for development of a specialist industry.

Overview: Over the past decade Patrick has had the opportunity to work with a number of regional and remote shires to design and deliver high quality, cost effective and climate appropriate buildings in Western Australia. Like many other parts of regional Australia, WA has seen its rural industry infrastructure eroded over the past 20 years as populations in rural shires have declined and economic activity has concentrated around one or two large industrial sectors, agriculture and mining. The building industry is one that has declined most significantly in WA with the result that procuring good quality buildings, or indeed buildings of any quality to regional and remote areas has either commanded a premium of up to 70 % over metropolitan prices or has meant procuring transportable buildings with poor durability and poor quality and performance but still at a cost premium.

The presentation will make the case for re-thinking the conventional building procurement process, taking advantage of modern methods of off-site construction and delivery of prefinished or partly finished products to site. Four case studies will be presented of completed buildings, domestic and community structures, and will analyse the cost effectiveness and quality outcomes and the design and fabrication processes. The paper will also discuss the change that is necessary in a sector of the construction industry in order for this sort of methodology to become the norm rather than the exception, and the relevance of the processes involved in these prototype projects to the building industry as a whole. The case will be put forward for this industry to be located in regional Australia rather than in metropolitan centres. [272]

About the Conference
The Australian Regional Development Conference is an initiative of the Association for Sustainability in Business Inc., a non-Government ‘not-for-profit’ organisation. The 2015 theme is “Redefining the Future of Regional Australia”, it will explore the issues and opportunities facing Regional Australia today and into the future.

Concurrent streams will focus on the following topics:

  • Sustainability / Renewables
  • Population Movements
  • Community Development
  • Government Policy
  • Innovation
  • Infrastructure
  • Cultural Tourism / Regional Tourism Development
  • Free Trade Agreements
  • Transport and Logistics
  • NBN / Broadband Communication
  • Banking / Finance

To view and/or download the Conference program, please visit the website here.

To register and for more information on the event, please click here.

 

Director of MRA Consulting, Mike Ritchie to present on Waste Trends and Regionalisation

  By Regional Development Conference • August 3, 2015 , , , ,

Mike Ritchie, Director of MRA Consulting will present at the Australian Regional Development Conference being held in Albury on the 26– 27 August 2015.

Mike Ritchie

Mike Ritchie

Speaker Introduction: Mike Ritchie is the Director of MRA consulting where his 20 years experience in environmental policy and business development has facilitated the company’s growth in waste, resource recovery and carbon management.

Prior to launching MRA, he was National General Manager – Business Development and Marketing with SITA, General Manager of Services at Waste Service NSW and State Manager of VISY. He has worked in local government as senior advisor to the Mayor of Brisbane and as a Director of Liverpool City Council.

He was National Vice President of the Waste Management Association of Australia (WMAA), past President of WMAA NSW, Chair of the Carbon Division of WMAA, and is current Chair of the AWT Division.

He was a member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Waste and Resource Recovery Governance Reform appointed by the Victorian Minister for Environment and Climate Change. He was a contributor to the national “Climate Change Risks to Australia’s Coast” Assessment Report.

Mike works with governments and businesses across Australia to develop innovative and cost effective waste and recycling strategies, technologies and services.

Presentation Title: Waste Trends and Regionalisation

Overview: Australia generates 46.8 MT of waste. Despite steady increases in the rate of recovery (av. 52%), the waste generated between 2002/03 and 2008/09 grew by 40%, while population increased by only 10% (SoE Report NSW, 2013). There are more of us but we are consuming proportionally more each year per person.

Waste generation has been growing at a historic average of 4-7% per year and still is. That means the amount of waste the industry has to process is doubling every ten to eighteen years. Generally, recycling is not growing at a rate fast enough to reduce waste to landfill by much.

Overall, pricing landfills, driving recycling initiatives and diverting waste back to the productive economy is neither easy nor cheap. Ultimately, it is the role of Government to decide the extent and speed of the transition from landfill to resource recovery, or not. It is the function of government to weigh the competing interests of resources, sustainability and cost. The industry is there to assist and invest where it can, once the direction is set.

One method to improve resource recovery is to consolidate regional landfills via conversion into transfer stations. Significant cost savings and environmental benefit can be realised through this process. Consolidation of these landfill assets is an easy win in terms of cost reduction and environmental improvement, including higher resource recovery rates.

The rationalisation of regional landfills can also benefit from assistance under Waste Less, Recycle More. The NSW EPA put aside $7 million to fund consolidation, closure and environmental improvements of landfills under the program.

Rationalisation of small landfill assets may also avoid the additional cost of licencing facilities under the updated NSW POEO Waste Regulations 2014, effective from November 1, 2014. Under the updated Regulations sites which accept more than 12,000 tonnes of material a year or have on site at any time more than 2,500 tonnes or 2,500 cubic metres of material will require a licence.

Beyond the cost, environmental and legal benefits of rural landfill consolidation, this rationalisation process will also centralise material volumes at larger sites. This also provides an opportunity to build new recovery infrastructure or improve the costs effectiveness of existing infrastructure via economies of scale.

About the Conference
The Australian Regional Development Conference is an initiative of the Association for Sustainability in Business Inc., a non-Government ‘not-for-profit’ organisation. The 2015 theme is “Redefining the Future of Regional Australia”, it will explore the issues and opportunities facing Regional Australia today and into the future.

Concurrent streams will focus on the following topics:

  • Sustainability / Renewables
  • Population Movements
  • Community Development
  • Government Policy
  • Innovation
  • Infrastructure
  • Cultural Tourism / Regional Tourism Development
  • Free Trade Agreements
  • Transport and Logistics
  • NBN / Broadband Communication
  • Banking / Finance

To view and/or download the Conference program, please click here.  For information on registration or to book your delegate pass, visit the website here.