| Speaker |
Biography |
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Dr Rob Vertessy
Acting Director of Meteorology
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Rob will present the keynote address on ‘Water information: a critique of the global and Australian situation’.
Currently acting Director of Meteorology, Dr Rob Vertessy heads up the Bureau’s Climate and Water Division. This includes responsibility for the National Climate Centre, the national flood forecasting and warning service, the water information function and laying the foundations for a National Plan for Environmental Information.
Seconded by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet in 2006, Rob was the architect of the Australian Government’s new national water information strategy, embedded in the Water for the Future initiative.
Before joining the Bureau in 2007 to lead the Improving Water Information Program, Rob was Chief Executive of the CRC for Catchment Hydrology (2002–04) and Chief of CSIRO Land and Water (2004–07).
Rob is a Board member of eWater CRC Pty Ltd. He has a PhD in fluvial geomorphology and spent the first 20 years of his career as a CSIRO researcher, specialising in catchment hydrology. He is widely published in that field.
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Dr Louise Minty
Assistant Director (Water Information Services)
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Louise will present ‘Water reporting: generating new insights’.
Dr Louise Minty leads the Water Information Services portfolio in the Bureau’s Climate and Water Division. Her responsibilities include the overall planning, development and management of water data analysis tools and the publication of Water Resources Assessments and the annual National Water Account.
Louise has a distinguished 25-year career with the Bureau, which includes roles in extreme rainfall estimates for dam and spillway design, climate modelling, climate change science and policy, strategic planning and budgeting.
She was a lead advisor in the transitional arrangements to implement the water information component of the Australian Government’s $12.9 billion Water for the Future program.
Her qualifications include a PhD, a Masters of Science and an Executive Master in Public Administration.
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Tony Boston
Assistant Director (Climate and Water Data) |
Tony will present ‘Water data: improving access and use’.
Tony Boston is responsible for the Bureau’s climate and water data. This includes maintaining the Bureau’s climate record, coordinating water data collection, and administering the Water Act Regulations and the water monitoring network modernisation fund.
Tony has extensive experience developing national databases for government agencies including the Bureau of Meteorology, Bureau of Mineral Resources, Environmental Resources Information Network and the National Library.
He has qualifications in geology, geographic information systems and computer science.
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Dr Dasarath (Jaya) Jayasuriya
Deputy Director (Acting) Climate and Water Division |
Jaya will present the plenary session, ‘Water forecasting: preparing for the future’.
Dr Dasarath (Jaya) Jayasuriya is responsible for the overall planning, implementation and management of the Bureau’s Water Forecasting Services function.
Jaya’s water expertise spans environmental flows, capital planning and management, water reform and pricing and regulations management. Before joining the Bureau in 2009 he spent 22 years at Melbourne Water including stints with responsibility for operating Melbourne’s water supply system and the water resources strategy.
Jaya has been a member of numerous ministerial steering committees including those investigating environmental flows in rivers and logging in water supply catchments.
A charted civil engineer by profession, Jaya’s PhD specialised in water resources and hydrology.
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Dr Grace Mitchell
Water Accounting Manager |
Grace is the lead facilitator for the National Water Account workshop.
Dr Grace Mitchell joined the Bureau in 2008 and leads the team responsible for developing and producing the National Water Account.
An expert in the urban water cycle, Grace has been a senior research fellow with the Institute for Sustainable Water Resources at Monash University, a program leader for CSIRO’s Water for a Healthy Country Flagship and worked in an engineering consultancy in London. She was the lead researcher for a number of eWater CRC projects.
Grace has qualifications in civil engineering and a PhD in urban water.
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Jeff Perkins
Supervising Hydrologist |
Jeff is the lead facilitator for the Seasonal Streamflow workshop. He will also present the plenary session 'Water forecasting: preparing for the future' in Melbourne and Brisbane.
Jeff Perkins leads a team of hydrologists, meteorologists and information technology professionals who developed and now operate the Bureau's first Seasonal Streamflow Forecasting service.
A key member of the Bureau's flood warning service for many years, Jeff played a key role in the development teams for the Bureau's national flood warning modelling, data management and display systems and real-time websites. Jeff continues to work as a flood forecaster when required, including during the recent record floods in Queensland.
Jeff has degrees in civil engineering and information technology. |
Elizabeth McDonald
Geofabric Project Manager |
Elizabeth will present the Geofabric part of the ‘Water data: improving access and use’ plenary session and is the lead facilitator for the Geofabric workshop.
Elizabeth McDonald is responsible for the Bureau’s Geospatial Data Unit. She leads a team of Geographic Information System specialists and coordinates key collaborators in developing and publishing the Australian Hydrological Geospatial Fabric (Geofabric).
Elizabeth has worked with CSIRO and the Australian Government Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities as a remote sensing and GIS specialist and as a database and internet manager.
Her qualifications include a First Class Honours Degree in Applied Science, a Graduate Diploma in Information Technology and a Masters of Arts in Public Sector Leadership (Public Policy).
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