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Introducing AELERT’s Chief Executive Officer: Greg Abood
24/01/2023
Please join us in welcoming AELERT’s new Chief Executive Officer, Greg Abood.
Greg is based in Sydney and is seconded from the Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) where he was the Director Education and Engagement.
AELERT Chair, Monica Collins welcomed Greg with the announcement of his appointment in December 2022:
‘Many of you will know Greg, who is currently Director Education and Engagement with the NSW Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR).
‘Greg has more than 20 years’ experience in a range of environmental regulatory and leadership roles within the NSW EPA and NRAR. He’s a passionate advocate for AELERT and the value it provides to our members.
‘Congratulations Greg, and I’m excited to work with you to continue the work of AELERT when you commence in the role in late January.
‘I’d also like to thank the NSW Natural Resources Access Regulator for sponsoring Greg’s appointment to this role in 2023.’
If you have a question or would like to catch up with Greg, please contact us at any time.
Friday catch ups
Greg has extended an open invitation to have a one-on-one chat any Friday.
'My immediate focus is to connect with our members. I am very keen to hear from you and to learn more about your service needs.'
Book in a half hour chat with Greg with a few clicks:
Prospective AELERT members or collaborators are invited and encouraged to take part as well.
AELERT 2022 Conference Officially opens
30/11/2022
The AELERT Conference, themed Regulating Towards 2050: Working together to face emerging challenges officially opened today on the land of the Burramattagal people, a clan of the Dharug people in Parramatta.
Local Elder, Auntie Julie Webb gave an official welcome to Country and AELERT Chair, Monica Collins opened the conference.
Over 300 delegates will attend the 3-day event, participating in workshops and over 50 presentations and panels from over 30 regulatory agencies in 3 countries.
Ms Collins said the conference is the AELERT’s flagship biennial event.
'It provides an opportunity to engage in all of those aspects of what makes AELERT great,' she said.
'A chance to collaborate with colleagues from across the breadth of environmental regulation in Australia, New Zealand and beyond; to learn about innovative ways of addressing complex environmental problems and to build the capability of our teams and organisations to tackle emerging issues.
'Over the next two days, we have an amazing range of presentations, covering strategy and reform, regulatory innovation and tools, data and analytics, and outcome based compliance, just to name a few.’
Keynote Speaker The Hon. Justice Brian J Preston FRSN SC
The Hon. Justice Brian J Preston FRSN SC delivered the keynote address, sharing his insights on the evolution of environmental regulation, including the challenges and the application of digital technologies and innovation.
2021-22 Annual Report
18/11/2022
AELERT's 2021-22 Annual Report has been published:
Chair's Message
It is my pleasure to present the AELERT 2021-22 Annual Report.
In our first year of delivery against the 2021-24 Strategic Plan, we put considerable effort into modernising AELERT as a contemporary professional regulators network, while addressing key strategic risks.
This has seen the commencement of a new National Council, which is more representative of our member organisations; the commencement of a new Leadership Team, headed by Adam Gilligan as our inaugural AELERT Chief Executive Officer; the introduction of a fee-paying membership structure to ensure we have a sustainable funding model to support the operation of the network; and a refreshed branding which is more closely aligned with our online presence.
As we move forward, we will be developing an engagement strategy for partnering with key member agencies, aligning AELERT events and products to priorities of member agencies, and developing standards to tackle common issues for modern environmental regulators.
I look forward to collaborating with the AELERT National Council and Leadership Team as we continue this valuable work to foster world class environmental regulation and raise the profile of the regulatory profession.
- Monica Collins, AELERT Chair
Grant Barnes announced as Deputy Chair of AELERT
10/11/2022
Grant Barnes, Chief Regulatory Officer of the Natural Resources Access Regulator, and member of the AELERT National Council, has been appointed as Deputy Chair of AELERT following a resolution of the National Council.
AELERT's Chair, Monica Collins, welcomed Grant to the role.
'Grant is a highly regarded regulator and has made a significant contribution to the water compliance landscape in NSW and Australia.
'Since joining the National Council, Grant has been a keen contributor to AELERT, including presenting about his role in standing up the NSW Natural Resource Access Regulator in our July Webinar.
‘I look forward to working with Grant as we continue to drive the AELERT professional regulators network’.
AELERT 2022 Conference Program
30/08/2022
AELERT is pleased to launch our 2022 Conference Program, with the theme Regulating Towards 2050: Working Together to Face Emerging Challenges.
There’s an amazing range of presentations, covering strategy and reform, regulatory innovation and tools, data & analytics, and outcome based compliance, just to name a few.
#AELERT2022 from AELERTtv on Vimeo.
Conference streams
- Indigenous
- Strategy & reform
- Collaboration
- Outcome-based compliance
- Data & analytics
- Regulatory innovation & tools
Early Bird registration closes on Friday, 9th September.
Greg Mullins AO AFSM welcomed as #AELERT2022 Keynote speaker
23/08/2022
We're excited to welcome Keynote Speaker for #AELERT2022, Greg Mullins AO AFSM.
Greg Mullins is an internationally recognised expert in responding to major bushfires and natural disasters and developed a keen interest in the linkages between climate change and extreme weather events. He coordinated responses to many major natural disasters over more than 2 decades and retired as Commissioner of Fire & Rescue NSW in January 2017.
During his 39 year career he served as President, Vice President and Board Chair of the Australasian Fire & Emergency Service Authorities’ Council, Deputy Chair of the NSW State Emergency Management Committee, Australian Director of the International Fire Chiefs Association of Asia, NSW representative on the Australian Emergency Management Committee, Australian representative on the UN’s International Search & Rescue Advisory Committee, and as a member of the NSW Bushfire Coordinating Committee. He is currently Chair of the NSW Ambulance Service Advisory Board.
We look forward to hearing Mr Mullins' stories and getting together again this November 29 - Dec 1 at the Novotel Sydney Parramatta and online.
Early bird conference registrations are now open through to Monday, 5th September.
The Hon Justice Brian J Preston FRSN SC announced as Keynote Speaker for #AELERT2022
05/08/2022
We're delighted to welcome the Hon. Justice Brian J Preston FRSN SC as our first Keynote Speaker for #AELERT2022.
Justice Preston is the Chief Judge of the Land and Environment Court of New South Wales. Prior to being appointed in November 2005, he was a senior counsel practising primarily in New South Wales in environmental, planning, administrative and property law. He has lectured in post-graduate environmental law for over 30 years.
He is the author of Australia’s first book on environmental litigation and 142 articles, book chapters and reviews on environmental law, administrative and criminal law.
We look forward to hearing Justice Preston's insights and getting together again this November 29 - Dec 1 at the Novotel Sydney Parramatta and online.
Early bird conference registrations are now open through to Monday, 5th September.
AELERT 2022 conference: date and venue announced
18/07/2022
We are pleased to announce that the AELERT Conference is being held at Novotel Sydney Parramatta from Tuesday, 29th November to Thursday, 1st December 2022.
The Conference will also be streamed online for virtual attendance.
The Conference will consist of:
- Half-day workshops on Tuesday, 29th November
- Welcome Reception in the evening of Tuesday, 29th November
- Two days of plenary and keynote presentations, along with concurrent paper sessions on Wednesday, 30th November and Thursday, 1st December
- Conference Dinner on the evening of Wednesday, 30th November.
Call for papers
We are currently seeking paper submissions to build the program across the three days.
To be a part of the AELERT Conference, we are seeking submissions focused on the theme of Regulating Towards 2050: Working together to face emerging challenges.
Call for Papers will close on Friday, 29th July 2022 - make sure your submission is in before the deadline to be considered. Please download the Submission Guidelines which will provide you with all the information you require to prepare your submission.
Paper submission must be made through the online submission portal:
Key dates:
- Papers for Concurrent Presentations are due by Friday, 29th July 2022
- Presenters will be advised of the outcome of their submission by August 2022
- Final PowerPoints are due by Tuesday, 22nd November 2022
For further information, contact GEMS Event Management Australia on +61 2 9744 5252 or email registration@gemsevents.com.au.
Conference website: https://gems.eventsair.com/aelert-2022/
NRAR's Chief Regulatory Officer to chat with AELERT at upcoming webinar
28/06/2022
AELERT National Council member and Chief Regulatory Officer for the NSW Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR), Grant Barnes will discuss NRAR's journey at an upcoming Members-only webinar on 2 August.
NRAR was created to change the water compliance landscape in NSW.
Established under the Natural Resources Access Regulator Act 2017 (NRAR Act), their mandate is to deliver effective, transparent and accountable enforcement of the laws.
NRAR also works to maintain public confidence in the enforcement of those laws.
"Through our work, there's acknowledgement amongst most water users that they can't take that extra drop, that every drop does count, particularly so in circumstance of drought."
Grant Barnes, quoted for ABC Landline in a recent story.
Log in to the Members Area to register.
*Due to a global outage on Microsoft Teams, this webinar was postponed to August 2.
The new registration link is available for Members on the event page.
2022 AELERT Conference: theme announced and call for papers
07/06/2022
The call for papers is now open for AELERT’s 2022 conference, themed ‘Regulating Towards 2050: Working together to face emerging challenges’.
Held at Novotel Sydney Parramatta from Tuesday, 29th November to Thursday, 1st December 2022; the Conference will also be streamed online for virtual attendance.
Papers can be submitted via the portal by 29 July 2022.
This year's Conference will focus on the fact that we are living in a changing world, and we are regulating in an environment that is subject to change.
Climate change is creating increased expectations to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, respond to climate induced environmental impacts such as increased frequency of natural disasters, and regulate adaptively during periods of sustained drought and flood.
We are also seeing the emergence of new industries and technologies which require regulation, while continuing to address addressing legacy impacts from past practices.
Call for Concurrent Papers
The Conference Committee is seeking Expressions of Interest for the conduct of concurrent presentations from stakeholders. Interested authors are encouraged to submit a paper of their selected topic for review and possible selection at the Conference.
Presenters will be required to indicate in which stream they wish their contribution to be considered in, including, but not limited to the concepts listed below:
Regulating emerging industries and responding to emerging environmental issues (Regulatory Practice Stream)
This stream focuses on current regulatory and emerging environmental threats in various jurisdictions, including challenges to achieving compliance.
Topics could include:
- Addressing unregulated pollutants and other environmental issues
- Regulating new and emerging issues, industries, and technologies
- Adaptive regulation in response to changing circumstances
Risk-based regulation: what’s new in the regulatory toolkit? (Legislation and Policy Stream)
This stream focuses on recent developments in risk based environmental regulation.
Topics could include:
- New legislation to address environmental issues
- New regulatory tools to address environmental harm, hold offenders to account and improve investigative and enforcement powers
- New policy approaches.
Innovation and technology: Adapting the way we work to meet emerging challenges (Innovation and Adaptation stream)
This stream focuses on showcasing new and emerging solutions driving more effective environmental practice, and the use of new ideas and ways of thinking including intelligence, technology, and data analytics to address environmental problems.
Topics could include:
- Using data from self-monitoring, citizen science and complaints to solve problems and target enforcement activities
- Exploring the value of using intelligence to improve environmental outcomes
- The use of tech-enabled innovation such as sensor technologies, body worn cameras or drones
- Using data and predictive analytics and new technology for effective targeting and identifying non-compliance
- Embedding intelligence in environmental agencies
- Research opportunities for academia
- Learning from the results on inquiries into regulation
- Installing a culture of compliance
- Best practice and new approaches in regulatory frameworks, environmental law/policy and fieldcraft
- Measuring outcomes and impacts
- Meeting compliance challenges in the Local Government sector
- Tools for consistent enforcement
- Utilising communications strategies to drive environmental outcomes
Other
We welcome submissions from relevant subject areas that may fit into the overarching conference theme, and we’re open to developing and refining the themes based on the range of submissions received.
Types of Presentations
Presenters will also be required to indicate the style of presentation they wish to deliver from the list below:
- Practitioner & Research Papers (10-15 mins including Q&A)
- Case Studies or Showcases (20-30 mins including Q&A)
- Plenary or Breakout Presentations (30-45 mins including Q&A)
- Plenary or Breakout Panel Discussions (45 mins including Q&A)
- Plenary or Breakout Workshops (45-60 mins including Q&A)
- Capacity Building Sessions (45-60 mins including Q&A)
- Discussion Roundtables (45-60 mins including Q&A)
Please download the Submission Guidelines which will provide you with all the information you require to prepare your submission.
Call for papers - submissions extended:
Paper submissions must be made through the online portal by 29th July 2022.
