2021 speakers

River reflections 2021 provided a space for water management knowledge and innovations to be shared.

The line up of speakers and topics for the first annual conference included a diverse mix of river communities and industries, which provided scope for reflective conversations and the opportunity to share knowledge.

Speaker	Bio
The Hon Keith Pitt MP Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia	The Hon Keith Pitt MP was appointed to his current ministerial role in February 2020, having been the federal member for Hinkler since 2013. Minister Pitt was born into a farming family in Queensland's Wide Bay-Burnett area where he and his wife Allison had cane farms before he established the Australian Safety and Training Alliance in 2002. The organisation trained more than 10,000 local students and 1,000 businesses. He completed an electrical apprenticeship and was named Queensland Electrical Apprentice of the Year. Minister Pitt holds a Bachelor of Computer and Electrical Engineering from the Queensland University of Technology. Watch the keynote address by The Hon Keith Pitt MP.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Angus Houston AK, AFC (Ret’d) Chair, Murray–Darling Basin Authority	Air Chief Marshal Sir Angus Houston AK, AFC (Ret’d) was awarded the Knight of the Order of Australia in January 2015 for extraordinary and pre-eminent achievement and merit in service to Australia, through distinguished service in the Australian Defence Force, continued commitment to serve the nation in leadership roles, particularly the national responses to the MH370 and MH17 disasters, and in a variety of roles in the community. Sir Angus retired from the military in July 2011 after serving for 41 years. He was Chief of the Australian Defence Force from 2005–2011 and prior to that was Chief of Air Force for 4 years. Sir Angus is Chancellor for the University of the Sunshine Coast and chairs several other boards. He also serves as a board member for numerous organisations as well as being a visiting fellow of the Australian National University National Security College. In addition, he is the Ambassador/Patron for a number of charitable organisations, including several mental health charities. Sir Angus has been awarded 4 honorary doctorate degrees from the University of South Australia, the Australian National University, the University of NSW, and Griffith University. Sir Angus Houston has extensive experience in bringing different interests together to work towards a common goal and is well placed to lead the Authority for the next stage of implementation ahead.
Emma Ayliffe Consultant, Summit Ag	Emma Ayliffe is an irrigation consultant and researcher based on the Murrumbidgee and Lachlan Rivers and runs her own business, Summit Ag. Growing up in South Australia, she had conflicting views about the irrigation industry but after university she worked at Lake Tandou, Menindee, which gave her more insight into the sector. She has since slowly worked her way east across the country, and is now a passionate advocate for agriculture and irrigation. Emma Alyliffe strives to work with her growers to be sustainable and efficient. Watch Emma Ayliffe speak in the panel session – In safe hands: innovation in agriculture.
Drew Braithwaite Ricegrower	Drew Braithwaite runs a mixed farming and grazing business with his family in Griffith, New South Wales. He is involved in all areas of the business where 850 hectare is irrigated, and includes irrigated rice, seed crops, cotton, wheat, barley, canola, sheep and cattle. Drew is AgriFutures Rice Advisory Chair. He has held other leadership positions, including Irrigation Research and Extension Committee (IREC) Executive Officer. In 2016, Drew was awarded a Nuffield Scholarship and studied rice futures markets and value-added rice branded products globally. He has worked as a commercial agronomist and corporate agriculture consultant. Watch Drew Braithwaite speak in the panel session – In safe hands: innovation in agriculture.
Professor Stuart Bunn Director, Australian Rivers Institute, Board Member, Murray–Darling Basin Authority	Professor Stuart Bunn’s major research interests are in the ecology of river and wetland systems, with a focus on the science to underpin river management. This research has resulted in more than 250 technical publications, most of which are refereed journal papers and conference proceedings. He has extensive experience working with international and Australian Government agencies on water resource management issues. From 2008–2012, Stuart was a National Water Commissioner. He has been a Chair of the Scientific Advisory Panel for the Lake Eyre Basin Ministerial Forum and a Director of Land and Water Australia. He is currently Chair of the Science Committee for Healthy Land and Water and a member of the International Planning Committee for the Sustainable Water Future Programme. Stuart Bunn was appointed Chair of the Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) Advisory Committee on Social, Economic and Environmental Sciences in 2016. He currently plays an observer role.
Dr Matthew Coleman Senior Director, Basin Strategy and Knowledge, Applied Science, Murray–Darling Basin Authority	Dr Matthew Coleman is head of Climate Adaptation and River Connectivity at the Murray–Darling Basin Authority. Matthew finished his PhD in astrophysics in 2005 and spent 4 years in research positions at the Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie and the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. In 2009, he joined the MDBA to assist with Basin Plan development, specifically in relation to data mining and the science-to-policy interface, and has since been strongly involved in Basin Plan implementation. Matthew has a strong interest in using science and knowledge to build water policy and communicating difficult science to a range of audiences. Watch Dr Matthew Coleman's presentation: Why hydrology matters. Download the PowerPoint presentation.
Peter Cremasco Director, Yenda Producers	Peter Cremasco is a third-generation farmer, and today works the land his grandfather purchased in 1951. Peter and his wife, Liz, have had various interests in large-area farming, including rice, stock, and dry-area cropping within family partnerships. Their focus is now on horticulture, and they operate numerous holdings with their son James and his family in the Yenda area in the New South Wales Riverina. Peter has an active role in his community in multiple organisations, including Yenda Rotary, Yenda Diggers Club, St Therese School, Yenda Producers Cooperative, and Yenda Grape Growers Association. Peter Cremasco has been a past president of the Horticulture Council, which was active in high security water policy. He was also a past delegate of the NSW Irrigators' Council.
Emeritus Mayor John Dal Broi Mayor, Griffith City Council	Clr John Dal Broi is a viticulturist and rice grower who was born and raised in Griffith. He has served in local government for more than 43 years, having joined Griffith City Council, then known as Wade Shire Council, in 1974. He has been Mayor of Griffith City Council for 27 of those years. In 2001, Clr Dal Broi became a Freeman to the City for service to local government and the community. In 2008, he was awarded Emeritus Mayor. He has always been a passionate member of his community and has proudly watched Griffith grow into a thriving multicultural city. Clr Dal Broi continues to hold a vision for the continued economic success of Griffith and the region. Watch the welcome to Griffith from Emeritus Mayor John Dal Broi.
John Durham General Manager, Farmland Developments, goFARM	John Durham has worked in farm management roles with both family and corporate farming businesses located within the Murray–Darling Basin, with a focus predominantly on irrigated annual cropping and horticulture. He holds an Advanced Diploma in Farm Business Management and is a Fellow of the Australian Rural Leadership Program. John Durham thrives on connection and is passionate about exploring and implementing innovative solutions to optimise agricultural businesses. Watch John Durham speak in the panel session – In safe hands: innovation in agriculture.
David Galeano Assistant Secretary, ABARES (Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences)	David Galeano leads the natural resources research at ABARES. Prior to re-joining ABARES in May 2016, David led the social and economic work at the Murray–Darling Basin Authority with responsibility for implementing various aspects of the Basin Plan. He also held senior positions at the Australian Fisheries Management Authority, leading the economic aspects of Commonwealth fisheries management. David also has experience at the Department of the Environment focusing on benefit cost analysis of environmental programs. David began his career at ABARES focusing on fishery economics research. He has a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics with Honours from the University of Sydney. Watch David Galeano's presentation: Crunching the numbers and the future of industry.
Phillip Glyde Chief Executive Officer, Murray–Darling Basin Authority	Previous to joining the MDBA in 2016, Phillip was Deputy Secretary at the Department of Agriculture, where he held a number of positions with responsibility for agriculture, fisheries, and forestry policy, several corporate and governance functions, as well as international trade and market access, export certification services, and their research division – Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics. A member of the Australian Public Service since 1980, Phillip has worked on natural resource management, industry, and environmental policies in a number of Australian government departments, including Prime Minister and Cabinet, Environment and Resources and Energy. Phillip has also spent some time working overseas, including with the Environment Directorate of the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris and the Cabinet Office and the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in the United Kingdom. Watch Phillip Glyde's MDBA update.
Joanna Hewitt AO Board member, Murray–Darling Basin Authority	Joanna Hewitt has worked at senior levels of the Australian Public Service in agriculture, foreign, and trade policy. She has also served on corporate, public sector, and non-governmental boards. Joanna is the Chair of the Scientific Advisory Group of the Department of Agriculture. Her senior government appointments include Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (2004–2007), and Deputy Secretary, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Joanna was Commission Chair of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research from 2011 to 2014. She has worked at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Agriculture Directorate and consulted internationally. Joanna has a Bachelor of Economics with first-class honours from the University of Western Australia and a Master of Science (Economics) from the London School of Economics. Joanna Hewitt is an Officer of the Order of Australia and has been awarded a Centenary Medal and an honorary doctorate in economics from the University of Western Australia.
Professor Mark Howden Director, ANU Institute for Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions	Professor Mark Howden is Director of the Institute for Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions at the Australian National University. He is also an Honorary Professor at Melbourne University, a Vice Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and a member of the ACT Climate Change Council. He was on the US Federal Advisory Committee for the 3rd National Climate Assessment and contributes to several major national and international science and policy advisory bodies. Mark has worked on climate variability, climate change, innovation and adoption issues for more than 30 years in partnership with many industry, community and policy groups via both research and science-policy roles. He helped develop both the national and international greenhouse gas inventories that are a fundamental part of the Paris Agreement and has assessed sustainable ways to reduce emissions. He has been a major contributor to the IPCC since 1991, with roles in the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth and now Sixth Assessment Reports, sharing the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with other IPCC participants and Al Gore. Watch Professor Mark Howden's presentation: Are we ready? Our changing climate. Download the PowerPoint presentation.
Karen Hutchinson General Manager People and Policy, Murrumbidgee Irrigation Ltd	Karen Hutchinson is part of the senior management team at Murrumbidgee Irrigation Ltd, one of the largest privately owned irrigation companies in Australia. She has extensive experience in stakeholder relations, communications, and water policy development. She was a member of the Basin Community Committee for 7 years and is currently Deputy Chair of the National Irrigators’ Council. Karen has an honours degree from the Australian National University and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Karen Hutchinson was awarded the prestigious NSW Rural Woman of the Year in 2011 by the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC). Download the PowerPoint presentation.
Brendan Kennedy Tati Tati Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations (MLDRIN) Delegate and Deputy Chair.	Brendan Kennedy is the Victorian Government’s Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning’s Water for Country Project Control Group Chairperson and the Tati Tati Kaeijin Water officer working on “Purinya Kaeijin kathiwatha” “Healthy water flowing” for the Margooya Lagoon Cultural Flows Management Plan. Brendan’s other projects include the Tati Tati Wadi Wadi Aboriginal Waterways Assessment, Margooya Lagoon Bio Cultural Assessment, and Indigenous Land Use and Occupancy Mapping of Werai Forest. He is Chairperson of the Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages, reviving and revitalising the Tati Tati Latji Latji Wadi Wadi Mutti Mutti Yitha Yitha Nari Nari languages that belong to the Murray, Murrumbidgee, Lachlan, Wakool, and Edward Rivers. Brendan Kennedy was born and bred on the Murray River at Robinvale in north-west Victoria. Watch Brendan Kennedy speak in the panel session – What's on the horizon: a panel of perspectives.
Braeden Lampard Manager, Murray–Darling Basin, OzFish Unlimited	Braeden Lampard has more than 7 years of experience working in local stakeholder engagement, communications, and fish ecology. He has detailed knowledge of natural resource management issues in a variety of fields including biodiversity, riparian management, restoration ecology, and developed planning. In his early career, he worked on large-scale monitoring and delivering effective fishery management projects. Braeden Lampard now works to deliver community-led environmental projects. Watch Braeden Lampard speak in the panel session – What's on the horizon: a panel of perspectives.
Erin Lenon Local Engagement Officer, CEWO (Commonwealth Environmental Water Office)	Erin Lenon works with central Basin communities to ensure local knowledge is incorporated into the planning and delivery of water for the environment. Erin also works alongside local land and water management officers, providing outreach to local communities. Erin has spent her career working with the Murray–Darling Basin's communities. Before joining the CEWO, Erin worked with Riverina Local Land Services. Download the PowerPoint presentation.
The Hon Sussan Ley MP Minister for the Environment and Member for Farrer	During her more than 20 years in federal parliament, the Hon Sussan Ley MP has been allocated responsibilities in a number of portfolio and policy areas. Prior to politics, Minister Ley had a varied career path. She holds a commercial pilot’s licence, and to finance her love of flying, she worked as an air traffic controller at Melbourne and Sydney airports and did aerial stock-mustering in outback New South Wales and Queensland. She was also a shed hand and shearers’ cook in a large chunk of rural Australia. She ran a family livestock and dairy farming partnership near Tallangatta in north-east Victoria. Minister Ley has a Bachelor of Economics, Master of Taxation Law, and a Master of Accounting. Watch the reflections from local Minister The Hon Sussan Ley MP.
Susan Madden Board member, Murray–Darling Basin Authority	Susan Madden brings skills, experience, and networks gained from a background in family farming, a First Class Honours degree in Agricultural Economics, and 15 years working in agricultural and natural resource management roles. Susan is Principal Economist, Natural Resources and Agriculture, with international consulting firm GHD. She has worked in public and private sector roles, including with the NSW Catchment Management Authorities, agricultural consultants Hassall and Associates, and KPMG. She was the Executive Officer of regional farming group Macquarie River Food and Fibre for almost 7 years. There, Susan participated in major government planning reform processes, including the review of New South Wales Water Sharing Plans and development of the Murray–Darling Basin Plan, and water pricing determinations undertaken by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. She has chaired the Central West Local Land Services since March 2017 and sits on the Local Land Services Board of Chairs. She is a Fellow of the Peter Cullen Trust and was a finalist in the 2013 Australian Cotton Industry Young Achiever of the Year Award.
Richard Malone Regional Manager, Customised Farm Management	Richard Malone’s experience spans more than 10 years of agronomy, combined with 4 years of farm management in the Murrumbidgee area. Richard is a Director and Regional Manager for Customised Farm Management (CFM), based in Griffith. CFM manages more than $500 million in assets spread throughout the Murray–Darling Basin with a focus on development and increasing capital and farm gate returns. Locally, this includes changes in land use to derive higher returns per megalitre through investment in crops such as mandarins, almonds, and pistachios. Watch Richard Malone speak in the panel session – In safe hands: innovation in agriculture.
Geoff McLeod Producer and Chair, Southern Growers	Geoff and his family run an irrigation cropping property near Finley in southern New South Wales. The farming business grows a range of irrigated winter and summer crops, including wheat, canola, grain maize and cotton and employs a range of irrigation streakiest and technologies to improve water use efficiency and productivity. Southern Growers is a farmer group focused on improving the performance of irrigated farming systems in the New South Wales Murray Valley and Geoff is the chair. Geoff holds a bachelor degree in Agricultural Science, has worked for a range of government and industry organisations and undertaken consultancy projects related to land and water management. Download the PowerPoint presentation.
Jeremy Morton Chairman, National Irrigators Council	Jeremy Morton is the co-owner and manager of a mixed farming enterprise at Moulamein in the New South Wales Riverina, which produces rice, winter grains, and livestock. He is also Director of ASX-listed, Ricegrowers Limited, which trades as SunRice. Jeremy was born in Swan Hill, Victoria, and has been an active participant in community activities and the implementation of the Murray–Darling Basin Plan over many years. Watch Jeremy Morton speak in the panel session – What's on the horizon: a panel of perspectives.
Michael Murray General Manager – Operations, Cotton Australia	Michael Murrray has been with Cotton Australia for 10 years, and prior to that he was the Executive Officer for Gwydir Valley Irrigators in Moree for more than seven years. From 1989 to 2003, Michael was an irrigation farmer in southern New South Wales, and it was during this period he was first actively introduced to national water reform, as an irrigator representative on the advisory committee for the Lower Murrumbidgee Groundwater Plan. Michael is based in Toowoomba, Queensland. Download the PowerPoint presentation.
Iva Quarisa OAM EO, Irrigation Research and Extension Committee	Iva grew up and worked on a family rice, wheat, and sheep farm – irrigated agriculture has always been in her blood. She graduated from the Australian National University with a Bachelor of Science and a Graduate Diploma in Natural Resource Management and has a Graduate Certificate in Irrigation from Charles Sturt University. In 1992, she joined the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) as an ag inspector and then became an irrigation officer in 1994. After being made redundant from DPI in 2013, she began working part-time with the Irrigation Research and Extension Committee as the EO and CEO of Murrumbidgee Private Irrigators and Murrumbidgee Groundwater. Iva has been on the Yenda Producers Board of Directors since 2015 and the board of Riverina Regional Development Australia since 2019, she has also been volunteering in Uganda since 2006. Her career highlight is receiving an OAM in the 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours list, which recognised her service to primary industry, particularly to irrigation management. Watch Iva Quarisa speak in the panel session – What's on the horizon: a panel of perspectives.
Andrew Reynolds Executive Director, River Management, Murray–Darling Basin Authority	Andrew Reynolds has more than 26 years of experience managing major water supply infrastructure, the past 8 with the MDBA. He has worked extensively in the fields of engineering project delivery, dam safety, and river management. He is currently chairman of the Australian National Committee on Large Dams. Andrew holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Agricultural) with Honours from the University of Melbourne. Watch Andrew Reynolds' Seasonal outlook. Download the PowerPoint presentation.
Brett Stonestreet General Manager, Griffith City Council	Brett Stonestreet was appointed Griffith City Council's General Manager in August 2011. He has more than 40 years of experience in local government. Brett has spent a significant period of that time as a CEO, Group Manager, and General Manager in the Moyne (Victoria), Gunnedah, Cobar, and Barraba Shire Councils. Watch Brett Stonestreet speak in the panel session – What's on the horizon: a panel of perspectives.
Hilton Taylor Acting Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment	Hilton Taylor has more than 25 years of experience in forestry, natural resource management, and international development work, including periods in both the private and public sectors. His current position includes oversight of the $4 billion Commonwealth Environmental Water Portfolio. Prior to joining the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office, Hilton Taylor has worked for state and territory Governments, URS Consulting, and as a contractor for AusAID and the World Bank. Watch Hilton Taylor's presentation: Thriving or surviving? The environment. Download the PowerPoint presentation.
Adrian Weston Director, Goulburn Broken CMA, Producer and Irrigator	Adrian Weston has been a Goulburn Valley irrigator for 30-plus years and operates a 230-hectare mixed farming business. He is a long-standing local government councillor, currently serving for 8 years, and is a director of the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority, currently serving the Campaspe Shire Council. He has been a MDBA Basin Community Committee member for the past 2 years. Adrian has a lifelong interest in agriculture, the natural environment, and sustainable natural resource management. He believes the region’s future success lies in building the capacity to adapt in the face of rapid and continuing change. Download the PowerPoint presentation.
Bill Williams CEO, ProTen Pty Ltd	Bill Williams has held technical, production and senior management roles in the poultry industry in New Zealand and Australia for more than 40 years. Bill joined ProTen as operations manager in 2014 and has been their Griffith-based CEO since 2019. ProTen produces about 130 million chickens each year, which is 20% of Australia’s chicken meat, on behalf of poultry processing companies such as Baiada and Ingham’s. As a contract grower, ProTen owns and operates more than 50 farms across the country and receives day-old chicks by the processors, which are collected for processing when they reach market weight. ProTen is Baiada’s largest grower operating in Griffith, Tamworth, South Australia, and Western Australia. The company also has farms that grow for other major poultry processors based in Victoria and Queensland. Bill holds a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery from Murdoch University.
Anna Wilson Senior Land Services Officer, Riverina Local Land Services	Anna Wilson has lived in the Riverina for over 35 years, and together with her husband, ran an irrigation property in the Coleambally Irrigation Area. Anna has worked in natural resource management and was initially with Landcare, developing and delivering projects across a range of fields, including vegetation establishment and protection, irrigation efficiency, and building community capacity. During this time, wetland and river restoration projects have been a highlight for her. Anna Wilson currently manages the Boosting the Bunyip Bird Yield Project which brings together the productive rice environment and wetlands to improve outcomes for the threatened Australasian Bittern. Download the PowerPoint presentation.
Megan Winter General Manager, Communications, Engagement and Strategic Policy, Murray–Darling Basin Authority	With 20 years’ experience in advocacy, policy, communications and issues management, Megan Winter has worked in a variety of organisations including consultancy, not-for-profit, member-based organisations, and 9 years at the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment. Her qualifications are in political science and public relations. Megan is passionate about improving MDBA’s efforts in communications and engagement, listening to communities, and transforming the complex into the understandable. The majority of her team work in regional offices around the Basin, and after 4 years is still learning something new every day about navigating the complex world of water management.
Vicki Woodburn Executive Director, Basin Strategy and Knowledge, Murray–Darling Basin Authority	Vicki Woodburn joined the MDBA leadership team in 2016. She has over 20 years of practical experience in policy and applied science focused on Australia’s natural resources, agricultural industries, biosecurity and regional development. Prior to joining the MDBA, Vicki held technical and leadership roles within the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, private sector consulting businesses and the Australian Government's agricultural department. In these roles, she has led cross-sectoral research including soils, climate change, rural policy, agricultural extension, digital innovations, and primary industry health and safety, as well as delivering high profile policy reviews and undertaken extensive stakeholder engagement. Vicki has a Bachelor degree in Applied Science from the Australian National University
Jamie Woods Chairman of Nari Nari Tribal Council and Land Manager Gayin Nimmie Caira	A Nari Nari man, Jamie was the Ranger at Toogimbie from 2008 to 2017 and he has vast experience in land and water management, overseeing the delivery of water onto the wetlands. Jamie feels lucky to live on country with the wetlands right at his front door as he continues to work with stakeholders for improved water and land management. As well as being chairman of the Nari Nari Tribal Council and the Land Manager of Gayin Nimmie, Jamie is also the chair of the co-management Committee with National Parks in Hay, New South Wales.
Rene Woods Board Member, Murray–Darling Basin Authority	Rene Woods is a Nari Nari man from south-west New South Wales. He has had a long involvement in gayini (water) for Aboriginal people across the Murray–Darling Basin. Rene is a strong advocate for First Nations people in the Basin and has worked in Basin communities in both the public and non-government organisation sectors. He is a conservation officer with Nature Conservancy Australia and has seen what can happen for communities that have gayini and land under their ownership and control. He believes that together we can achieve a strong, healthy river system and healthier communities. He was previously chairperson of the Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations (MLDRIN). He has also been vice-chair of the Nari Nari Tribal Council. He has worked with the NSW Department of Primary Industries’ Aboriginal Water Initiative and Murrumbidgee Valley Water NSW Customer Advisory Group. Rene was also a member of the National Cultural Flows Research Committee and Independent Panel for the Assessment of Social and Economic Conditions of Murray–Darling Basin communities. Watch Rene Woods' presentation: Caring for culture and Country. Download the PowerPoint presentation.

Updated: 17 Mar 2022

2021 speakers

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