United for Australia’s Water Future: Imagining Water Security in 2050

The risks to Australia’s water resources are great and varied. How we safeguard Australia’s water resources, both now and into the future, is one of the most crucial challenges we face as a nation. As the driest inhabited continent in the world, the stakes are high for the environment, economy and well-being of all Australians.

This National Water Week, join us for a panel discussion exploring the future of water security in Australia. We ask six experts to imagine water security in 2050, and how we can achieve a desirable future for all Australians, starting now.

Our panel of experts will delve into the challenges and opportunities facing Australia as it navigates the risks and sometimes competing priorities of water security. Panellists will address pressures of climate change and extreme weather; drinking water security in regional and remote communities; the role of rural Australia; the power of policy and collaboration; the impacts of aging and new infrastructure and the importance of First Nations engagement in water management.

Meet the panelists

• Matthew Coulton – General Manager, Water and Agriculture, Bureau of Meteorology
• Kate McBride – Parliamentary Liaison Officer, The Australia Institute
• Michelle Hobbs – Aboriginal Freshwater Ecologist and Associate Lecturer and PhD candidate with the Australian Rivers Institute at Griffith University
• Dr Paul Wyrwoll – Research Fellow, Institute for Water Futures and Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
• Emeritus Professor Cynthia Mitchell – Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney
• Matthew Dadswell, Head of Division, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

The discussion will be moderated by Professor Lorrae van Kerkhoff – Director of the ANU Institute for Water Futures.

This is a hybrid event. With limited seats available at the in-person event, register now to secure your place. Complimentary refreshments will follow the discussion.

The discussion will be live-streamed. Join the online discussion here.

This event is hosted by the Australian Water Association and the ANU Institute for Water Futures with support from the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.