Grattan Institute’s second Cities program report is “Cities: Who Decides?”. The report investigates decision making in eight of the world’s most successful cities, and asks what governance arrangements accompanied their broad-based improvement. Every city has a different story, but among these differences a number of common themes emerged. These included the importance of public engagement, consistent strategic direction, cross-sectoral collaboration, and regional cooperation. Read the rest of this entry »
Mainstreaming the Economics of Nature – a synthesis of the approach, conclusions and recommendations of TEEB is the last of four reports produced by The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) study of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) over the past two years. This international assessment showcases the enormous economic value of forests, freshwater, soils and coral reefs, as well as the social and economic costs of their loss. To download the report visit www.teebweb.org and look for the report links in the right column.
For the first time, all Australians now have access to information about major water storages across the nation on a single website. The Bureau of Meteorology’s Water Storage website allows you to compare water storage levels and volumes for more than 250 publicly-owned lakes, reservoirs and weirs in different states and territories and to see how much water is available over the entire country. You can discover how much water we have in our storages in each state, capital city, drainage division and major water supply system, as well as in individual storages. You can also compare how the volume of water in storage has changed over the previous, year, month, week and day.
“enGauge” is a new email newsletter prepared by the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) providing updates about developments in water information. The BOM plans to distribute enGauge approximately six times per year. To subscribe visit BOM Water News and Events and scroll down to “enGauge with us”.
The Productivity Commission is conducting an inquiry into Australia’s urban water sector. In undertaking the inquiry, the Commission will identify opportunities for efficiency gains in the structural, institutional, regulatory and other arrangements that govern the sector. Initial submissions are due by 5 November 2010. For further information on the inquiry visit Productivity Commission – Australia’s Urban Water Sector. Initial public hearings for this inquiry are being held in capital city locations between 8 November and 13 December 2010. Public hearings provide participants with the opportunity to elaborate on their submissions and to discuss issues with Commissioners. If you would like to present a submission at the hearings, or attend as an observer, please visit Australia’s Urban Water Sector – Public hearings for further information.
A unique public Forum will take place in Hobart early next month. Bringing together leading professionals locally, from the mainland and around the world, the Forum will look at how Tasmania can become a world leader in sustainable building design and construction. All members of the community interested in this field are invited to register and attend. With poor building design now identified as a major cause of energy wastage and needless greenhouse gas emissions, the Forum will be looking at how new building design and retrofitting existing buildings can produce big savings in energy costs. To find out more visit Sustainable Buildings – Opportunities for Tasmania Forum. The Forum is an initiative of Future Tasmania, which is a not-for-profit, non-party-political organisation that promotes education, research and transition toward sustainable futures.
The new Office for the Non-Profit Sector (within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet) is seeking expressions of interest for members of the Non-Profit Sector Reform Council. The Council will be established by the Australian Government to support the Office for the Non-Profit Sector to implement the Government’s commitment to smarter regulation, reduced red tape and improved transparency and accountability of the sector. To find out more about the Council and how to nominate visit Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet – The Non-Profit Sector Reform Council.
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Then Volunteering Australia needs your input to the National Survey of Volunteering Issues. Help identify the issues affecting volunteering and explore the solutions. To find out more and complete the survey visit Volunteering Australia – 2010 National Survey on Volunteering Issues.
International Volunteer Day (IVD) was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1985. IVD is now celebrated worldwide with thousands of volunteers involved in a range of IVD initiatives including clean-up campaigns, conferences, exhibitions, morning teas and many other activities all aimed to highlight the role of volunteers in their communities. Volunteering Australia supports IVD and encourages all volunteer based organisations to be involved and celebrate volunteering. To find out more visit Volunteering Australia – International Volunteer Day.
The October 2010 issue of the Applied Environmental Decision Analysis (AEDA) research hub Decision Point magazine is a special 16-page bumper issue on Marxan – the most widely used conservation planning software in the world. AEDA didn’t create Marxan but it has contributed significantly to its refinement and the ways it can be applied. Read the rest of this entry »