KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

STORMWATER 2010 will feature an outstanding array of keynote speakers of national and international prominence including:

 

Senator Nick Xenophon
Independent Senator for South Australia

Biography will be posted shortly

 

Chris Davis
Commissioner
National Water Commission

Chris Davis is Sustainability Business Development Manager at the University of Technology Sydney, and is also Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology at that university.

Mr Davis was CEO of the Australian Water Association from 1992 to 2007. He has had significant technical and consulting experience in water quality and wastewater treatment. He is chair for the South East Queensland Urban Water Security Research Alliance, serves as a board member for Quality Research Australia Limited, and is a member of the National Health and Medical Research Council's Water Quality Advisory Committee and the Australian Water Resources Information System project steering committee. Mr Davis is also acting chair of the Sydney Metro Water Plan Independent Advisory Panel.

Mr Davis holds a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand, a master's degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas and an MBA from the University of New England.

 

Peter Newman
Professor of Sustainability
Curtin University Sustainability Policy (CUSP) Institute
Western Australia

Peter Newman is the Professor of Sustainability at Curtin University and is on the Board of Infrastructure Australia that is funding infrastructure for the long term sustainability of Australian cities. His two new books ‘Resilient Cities: Responding to Peak Oil and Climate Change' and ‘Green Urbanism Down Under', both written with Tim Beatley, are a positive look at sustainability opportunities.

In 2001-3 Peter directed the production of WA's Sustainability Strategy in the Department of the Premier and Cabinet. It was the first state sustainability strategy in the world. In 2004-5 he was a Sustainability Commissioner in Sydney advising the government on planning issues.

In 2006/7 he was a Fulbright Senior Scholar at the University of Virginia Charlottesville . In Perth , Peter is best known for his work in saving, reviving and extending the city's rail system.

Peter invented the term ‘automobile dependence' to describe how we have created cities where we have to drive everywhere. For 30 years since he attended Stanford University during the first oil crisis he has been warning cities about preparing for peak oil. Peter's book with Jeff Kenworthy 'Sustainability and Cities: Overcoming Automobile Dependence' was launched in the White House in 1999. He was a Councillor in the City of Fremantle from 1976-80 where he still lives.

 

Professor Tony Wong
Director
Centre for Water Sensitive Cities
Monash University

Professor Tony Wong was a founding director of the consulting firm Ecological Engineering, now a part of the global design firm Design + Planning @ AECOM. Tony has over 25 years experience and is internationally recognised for his research and practice in sustainable urban water management.

Professor Tony Wong is a founding co-director of Monash University 's Centre for Water Sensitive Cities and Program Director and Chief Executive of the Centre's $20M flagship research program, Cities as Water Supply Catchments. The Centre aims to create cities and towns that are resilient to the twin challenges of accommodating an increasing population, and the effects of climate change that have implications for almost every aspect of water in our urban environments.

Tony was one of the industry leaders that led the original development of the principles of Water-Sensitive Urban Design. Through his research and practice leadership, he has led many innovative designs of stormwater quality improvement, water conservation and alternative water sources measures. Their integration into the urban landscape and building architectural underpins Water-Sensitive Urban Design as we know it in Australia today. He was the editor-in-chief of Engineers Australia's recent book entitled Australian Runoff Quality: A Guide to Water Sensitive Urban Design. He has over 100 publications in the field of sustainable urban water management.

Tony provides advice to governments and industry on sustainable water management. He is a member of the Urban Water Advisory Group of the Australian Government's National Water Commission and served on the Prime Minister's Science Engineering and Innovation Council's working group on Water for Cities in 2006-2007.