Dr Tom Hatton

WA EPA Chairman (2015 - 2020), Adjunct Professor at University of Western Australia and Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering.

Tom holds BSc and MSc degrees from Humboldt State University, and a PhD from Utah State University, and has completed post-doctoral studies in mathematics at UNSW.

His 25 years with CSIRO as a scientist and executive with national leadership of their water, marine and energy research was recognised with the CSIRO Chairman’s Medal and the Australian Public Service Medal.

Tom served on the WA Conservation Commission, chaired the WA Marine Parks Authority and the Australian State of the Environment Committee, and served on the first National Sustainability Council and the boards of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research and the WA Parks Foundation. He chaired the 2018 Independent Scientific Panel Inquiry into Hydraulic Fracture Stimulation in WA.

Dr Luke Twomey

Chief Executive Officer of the Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI).

Website: https://wamsi.org.au/

Luke holds a PhD and BSc (first class honours) from Curtin University and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

He is a phytoplankton ecologist with experience across the fields of environmental impact assessment, management, research and teaching in estuarine, nearshore and offshore environments, both in Australia and internationally.

Luke’s current role is to drive planning for the long-term future of WAMSI and implement a strategic marine science approach for WAMSI and its partners to deliver strategic multi-disciplinary marine research programs across Western Australia.

He has overseen the completion of major WAMSI science programs, including the Kimberley Marine Research Program and the landmark Dredging Science Node, and provided strategic advice to government on Exmouth Gulf’s environment, which led to the Minister for Environment’s announcement of a new marine park. Currently, he is delivering a major collaborative science program on the marine environment at Cockburn Sound in partnership with Westport and a comprehensive science plan for Shark Bay.

Dr Elena Limnios

Chair of Perth NRM and Director at Limnios Project

Website: https://limniosprojects.com.au/

Elena holds a Masters in Engineering and an MBA (both with High Distinction), a PhD in organisational resilience and sustainability metrics from UWA and completed a post doctorate in co-operative resilience also from UWA.

Her experience spans diverse industries including Education, Environment, Infrastructure, Engineering and Property Development. She is proficient in property development and consults in that space through her business, Limnios Projects.

Elena is a skilled Independent Board Director and Chair, and is considered a national expert in cooperative and mutual business. In addition to her role as Chair of Perth NRM, she is also a board member of South Metropolitan TAFE, the President of the Hellenic Chamber of Commerce and Industry in WA, and a board member of the HACCI National Federation.

She values relationships and believes in collaborative leadership, developing win-win solutions and encouraging thinking outside the box.

Dr Renee Young

Program Director for Conservation and Restoration at Western Australian Biodiversity Science Institute (WABSI).

Website: https://wabsi.org.au/

Renee has a BSc in Zoology and Botany and a PhD in ex-situ conservation from Kings Park Science and UWA.

Renee is an experienced manager and environmental scientist specialising in ecological restoration, with recent projects showcased at The UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) and UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15).

Working with government, industry and research, Renee collaborates widely to ensure outputs are applied and readily implementable. Her on-ground knowledge, experience in restoration, and understanding of the limitations and challenges currently faced within the sector, assists her to facilitate and coordinate the multi-disciplinary programs of work required to overcome some of the biggest barriers to ecological restoration.

Renee recently led the Western Australian Restoration Economy project which includes a roadmap to support the growth of the industry to achieve better environmental outcomes for the state.

Lee McIntosh

Deputy Chair of WA’s Environmental Protection Authority.

Website: https://www.epa.wa.gov.au/

Lee has a Master’s degree in Environmental Law from the University of Calgary, Canada, and a Bachelor of Laws (first class honours) and Bachelor of Science (Environmental Science) from Murdoch University.

Lee has been Deputy Chair of Western Australia’s Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) since November 2020. She served as an environmental lawyer for more than two decades and has extensive experience in corporate, government and community sectors, been active in several environmental law policy and reform initiatives, lectured and tutored in environmental law and worked across all areas of environmental law assessment and approvals.

In addition to roles on several government and community boards, Lee has provided advice on the environmental approval and social licence issues associated with some of the State’s most significant projects.

Associate Professor Paul Maginn

Director at the University of Western Australia’s Public Policy Institute.

Website: https://www.uwa.edu.au/institutes/public-policy/Home

Paul holds a PhD in urban policy from London South Bank University, a Postgraduate Certificate in Town and Country Planning from Queen’s University of Belfast, and, a BSc. (Hons) in Regional Analysis and Development from the University of Ulster (Coleraine).

Paul’s primary areas of expertise relate to urban policy, strategic metropolitan planning, planning reform, and, Australian and global suburbanisms. He is the co-editor/author of 8 books, including Suburbia in the 21st Century: From Dreamscape to Nightmare?; (Sub)Urban Sexscapes: Geographies and Regulation of the Sex Industry (winner of the 2016 Planning Institute of Australia National Award for Research Excellence); and, Planning Australia: An Overview of urban and Regional Planning.

He is currently the Interim Director of the UWA Public Policy Institute and Co-ordinator of Masters of Public Policy (Admin/Governance stream). Paul is Editor-in-Chief of Urban Policy and Research having previously been the Practice Reviews editor. He was co-convenor of the Australasian Cities Research Network from 2017-2021 and remains a member of the ACRN committee.

Dr Martin van Bueren

Director at Synergies Economic Consulting

Website: https://www.synergies.com.au/

Martin has a Bachelor of Agricultural Science and a PhD in Environmental Economics, both from UWA.

He is a resource economist with 22 years consulting experience in Australia and overseas. He has an extensive record of project experience in a wide range of industry sectors, including water, environment, mining, energy, infrastructure, and agriculture.

Martin currently manages the Perth office of Synergies Economic Consulting, a position he has held since 2013. He works across both the public and private sectors on projects that concern economic aspects of policy and regulation. He enjoys the challenge of working with clients on complex, contemporary problems and offering solutions that draw on the economics discipline.

Some of his recent projects have included assessing the economic feasibility of water recycling schemes, advising on the cost-benefit of waste management reforms in WA, and valuing the environmental and cultural benefits of site remediation for indigenous communities.

Dr Kathleen Broderick

Director at Broderick and Associates

Website: https://www.broderickandassociates.com.au/

Kathleen provides strategic facilitation of collaborations and cross regional and sectoral initiatives involving governments, business, researchers, and communities. Her passion for natural resource outcomes in fresh water, healthy soil and biodiversity has fuelled a career spanning over 30 years in regional natural resource management.

Kathleen’s experience combines research and practical contributions to management of water quality improvement in the Great Barrier Reef catchments, biodiversity and water quality management in Tasmania, and salinity management in Western Australia. As social and economic research and information manager at the Great Barrier Reef Park Authority, Kathleen contributed to management of issues as diverse as climate change, pest species management such as Crown of thorns starfish, and managing tourism impacts. 

Kathleen has written several key papers examining governance of natural resources and community participation in resource management. She has also contributed as a member of expert panels including the national review of extension ‘Consolidating targeted and practical extension services for Australian Farmers and Fishers’ (2017), and the adaptative management of marine biodiversity as part of the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (2010).

Associate Professor Nicki Mitchell

Deputy Director at the University of Western Australia’s Ocean Institute.

Website: https://www.uwa.edu.au/oceans-institute

Nicki holds a PhD in Environmental Physiology from the University of Adelaide (2001), and a BSc. (first class honours) in Zoology from the University of Tasmania (1996).

Nicki’s area of expertise is the impact of climate change on threatened vertebrates, using skills in physiological ecology, genetics and modelling to explore how species can be supported to persist in drying and warming climates. She has led a pioneering project on assisted colonisation since 2010 which has featured in the New York Times and Nature.

Nicki co-led a large research program in the NESP Threatened Species Recovery Hub, working closely with state and Commonwealth government and environmental NGOs to provide decision support for fauna translocations and conservation havens. She co-leads PEAT – a transdisciplinary project focused on the geodiversity and biodiversity of Endangered peatland ecosystems and their responses to climate change and fire regimes.

Nicki is currently the Deputy Director of UWA ‘s Ocean Institute, focusing on an ambition for Nature Positive oceans. She is also a Lead Councillor of Australia’s Biodiversity Council and was formerly a member of the Commonwealth Threatened Species Scientific Committee, serving four terms from 2015-2023.

Warren Tierney

Manager Economic Policy and Analysis at WA’s Department of Water and Environmental Regulation

Website: https://www.dwer.wa.gov.au/

Warren leads the input of economic advice into strategic environmental policy for the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation.

His most recent work has focussed on waste avoidance and resource recovery, water resources policy, urban water policy, and regulatory impact assessment. 

Warren emphasises the need for realistic and deliverable policy measures and outcomes. He has a hands-on understanding of the role of knowledge in influencing government decision making for public policy. 

Warren also has experience in policy development for water utility governance and pricing, land management, climate change, native vegetation, biodiversity, and forests policy, and he has previously worked for the Victorian, New South Wales and Commonwealth Governments.