Steering Committee
The Steering Committee is the chief decision-making body of AELERT and is reflective of a representative governance model. The Australian Government, New Zealand Central Government and all Australian States and Territories nominate a Jurisdictional Representative to sit on the Steering Committee.
The AELERT Steering Committee meets formally no less than three times a year to discuss the strategic direction of AELERT, Cluster projects, AELERT member needs and issues facing the environmental regulatory community.
Committee Members
The AELERT Steering Committee members are:
Chair and Commonwealth Jurisdictional Representative
Monica Collins, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment
Monica Collins joined the Commonwealth Department of Environment and Energy as Head of the Environment Compliance Branch in 2016. In this role Monica has transformed the Department’s approach to compliance, implementing a risk-based and intelligence led model with a focus on delivering environmental outcomes through a broad range of compliance tools.
Under this new model, the team has a proud track record of sensible compliance outcomes, from criminal and civil prosecutions, through to working with regulatory partners to improve voluntary compliance in response to emerging compliance risks.
Monica most recently worked with the New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage and has more than 25 years’ experience working in the environment and natural resources management sector.
Monica has worked in environmental regulation, compliance and enforcement, community engagement, and environmental program delivery roles, including in the Murray-Darling Basin, biodiversity and threatened species programs, environmental impact assessment, kangaroo management, floodplain and coastal erosion management, forestry regulation, renewable energy and energy efficiency programs.
Monica also brings significant experience in managing regulatory reform and change management.
Vice-Chair and ACT Jurisdictional Representative
Narelle Sargent, ACT Environment Protection Authority
Narelle joined the ACT EPA on 30 November 2017 and brings extensive experience in leadership and management in the environment, natural resource, regulatory, planning and central agency coordination, in NSW and ACT governments.
This is coupled with high level achievements in inter-governmental relations, stakeholder engagement and negotiating and collaborating across the tiers of government, including driving NSW’s engagement with the ACT to deliver the inaugural ACT and NSW Memorandum of Understanding for Regional Collaboration.
Narelle has administrated a number of pieces of Commonwealth, ACT and NSW legislation relating to environment protection, nature conservation, water management and land use planning.
Narelle is responsible for leading the day to day regulatory functions of the ACT EPA and works collaboratively both within government and with the community to achieve positive environmental outcomes. The ACT EPA regulates activities related to air, land and water, environmental noise, water resources, lakes, contaminated sites, firewood merchants, clinical and hazardous waste, and pesticide use.
She holds a Bachelor of Rural Science (Hons) and a Graduate Diploma in Management & Professional Studies.
Director and Western Australia Jurisdictional Representative
Germaine Larcombe, Department of Water and Environmental Regulation
Germaine is a senior environmental regulator in Western Australia with the newly established Department of Water and Environmental Regulation. She has over 14 years’ experience in environmental regulatory delivery specialising in environmental compliance and enforcement delivery.
Germaine has experience in international waste shipment regulation under the European Union’s Network for the Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law and in the practical application of a wide range of environmental legislation both in Ireland and Australia.
Germaine holds a Bachelor of Science with Honours from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland.
Queensland Jurisdictional Representative
Claire Andersen, Department of Environment and Science
Claire Andersen is Executive Director, Operational Support, Environmental Services and Regulation, in the Queensland Department of Environment and Science.
She leads teams responsible for environment impact assessment, permits and licensing, community response, as well as supporting regulatory changes and capability and safety across the division. Prior to working in DES, Claire led Fisheries Queensland in the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. This included leading fisheries management, monitoring, compliance and licensing, along with swimmer safety programs.
Prior to her time in DAF, Claire worked in the former Department of Environment and Heritage Protection coordinating Great Barrier Reef policy issues and prior to that at the Department of Premier and Cabinet in Environment Policy.
New South Wales Jurisdictional Representative
Tracy Mackey, NSW Environmental Protection Authority
New Zealand Jurisdictional Representative
Siobhan Quayle, Environmental Protection Authority New Zealand Te Mana Rauhī Taiao
Siobhan Quayle is the General Manager of Regulatory Systems and Operations in the New Zealand Government Environmental Protection Authority.
Siobhan has significant experience across the environmental, legal and regulatory landscape which means she brings a sound cross-organisational perspective to the role of General Manager, Regulatory Systems and Operations.
She has been a part of the EPA since it was established in July 2011. Before that she was a senior solicitor with the Ministry for the Environment and also has worked as part of a specialist environmental law team at Chapman Tripp.
Siobhan has studied at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg, holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Science from Victoria University and also holds a post graduate Diploma in Education. She has also held leadership positions in secondary school education and is currently the Deputy Chair for the Board of Land Search and Rescue NZ.
Northern Territory Jurisdictional Representative
Peter Vasel, NT EPA
Peter Vasel, Director Pollution Control at the Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority (NT EPA) has been the NT AELERT jurisdictional representative since late 2013.
Peter’s duties at the NT EPA include the compliance and enforcement of the NT Waste Management and Pollution Control Act and Water Act amongst others. His current area of responsibility includes the environmental regulation of all air, noise, water, waste, contaminated sites, pollution from ships (MARPOL), NPI issues. His work also entails the development of policy across all of these areas.
Peter also participates and represents the NT EPA on Commonwealth initiatives. Peter has an extensive background in compliance and enforcement and has worked as an environmental regulator in Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia and Queensland. He has also spent some time as a principal investigator with the former Office of Police Integrity of Victoria (now IBAC).
South Australia Jurisdictional Representative
Peter Dolan, Environment Protection Authority South Australia
Peter Dolan is the Director of Regulation in the EPA. Peter joined the EPA in 1994 and has held a number of Executive positions in the organisation including 11 years as Director of Science. He commenced his current role in May 2017.
Peter holds a BSc in Chemistry and microbiology and has extensive experience in the field of environment protection with more than 30 years’ experience.
Prior to joining the EPA, Peter worked in mining regulation, development assessment and on public health projects including the original government response to lead issues in Port Pirie in the 1980s.
Peter enjoys resolving technically and politically complex environment protection and pollution issues both directly and through the direction of professional teams and has contributed to government responses to issues as wide ranging as management of the expansion of the aquaculture industry to regulation of in-situ uranium mining.
Peter has a passion and enthusiasm for the environment and managing the interface between the environment, communities and industry, with a strong focus on improved customer service and keeping the community informed and engaged.
Tasmania Jurisdictional Representative
Cindy Ong, Environmental Protection Authority Tasmania
Cindy joined the Environment Protection Authority (EPA Tasmania) in August 2015. She manages its northern operations branch and is part of the division’s executive team.
Cindy came into the Tasmanian State Service in 1999 and before commencing with EPA Tasmania, worked in weed management and biosecurity where she specialised in risk assessment and policy development.
She also spent two years as an advisor to the minister responsible for agriculture and biosecurity and animal welfare.
Cindy moved to Tasmania from Victoria in the 1980s seeking rain, mist, frost and snow, got all those things and will not live anywhere else. She holds a Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of Tasmania with Honours in Biogeography, and a Graduate Certificate in Public Sector Management.
Victoria Jurisdictional Representative
Mark Rossiter, Environmental Protection Authority Victoria