Tony Friday

Tammi Rose, CEO of Yarra Ranges Council on ESG, Climate Change and Sustainability: "Through consistent communication, strategic integration and collaborative engagement, CEOs can lift climate risk awareness and activate meaningful adaptation planning across the sector." 53% of councils now have a climate emergency plan, but readiness varies widely. 🔗Explore more findings here: https://lnkd.in/gnG9WVkz #CEOIndex2025 #Sustainability #ClimateLeadership Bruce Davidson, Trent McMahon FCPA, GAICD, Jacqui Wightman, Clare McCartin, Derek Sheerin, Stephen Veness

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Institute of Directors in New Zealand and KPMG New Zealand have produced guidance “How to swim: Governance lesson for new water boards”. Directors of new CCO boards will need to navigate: - Pressure to ensure financial sustainability, secure funding and/or raise capital - A clear understanding of current asset condition and implementing mature asset management practices - Competition for experienced personnel with relevant asset management and water sector expertise - A complex and evolving regulatory compliance regime - The demands of multiple stakeholders operating in a highly politicised environment Kirill Voronchev Water New Zealand #water Taituarā — Local Government Professionals Aotearoa Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) Mair Brooks Dan Bleach Guy Beatson, CMInstD https://lnkd.in/g8bYvp9d

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Fresh from the weekend's launch of guidelines for the National Development Stream of the Green Iron Investment Fund, AHC CEO Fiona Simon was grateful for the opportunity to sit down for a 1:1 with Minister for Industry and Science, Senator the Hon Tim Ayres yesterday. Minister Ayres reinforced the Australian Government's support for decarbonising heavy industry, and the importance of improving Australia's productivity and energy security. The progression of green iron to support the steel sector is a key focus. They also discussed the opportunities within key regional precincts and the need to work collaboratively with state governments to get the infrastructure and key pieces in place. We're looking forward to hearing more from the Australian Government about its industry sector plans and implementation of the Future Made in Australia policy, building on key announcements including the new Front Door for Investors. #h2au #APACHydrogen2025

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Here's a nerdy post for those interested in the push to reform Australia's national environmental laws... Most media, political and environmental advocacy attention has been focused on ways to improve assessment and approval processes for developments so that (hopefully) these have less impact on our environment and don't get in the way of the renewable energy role out. But there's much more to protecting the environment than just mines, fines and transmission lines. To stop extinctions and restore ecological health, Australia needs to also:  1️⃣ Protect and restore threatened species and ecological communities – known as ‘recovery’  2️⃣ Eliminate or reduce the major threats to nature – known as ‘threat abatement’ Recovery gets a lot of attention, but even if recovery processes were optimal, the current fragmented and limited focus on threat abatement within the law and government priorities leads to continuous growth in threatened species lists, ongoing extinctions, landscape degradation and significant economic costs. Reforms of the EPBC Act will fail to stop environmental degradation unless they also significantly strengthen Australia’s capacity to systematically identify, prevent and abate threats to nature - especially invasive species.   That is why the Invasive Species Council is advocating for vital reforms to deal with: ❌ An ad-hoc, nomination-based process for listing Key Threatening Processes (KTPs), leading to a lack of comprehensive identification of both existing and emerging threats to nature. ❌ Live import regulations which are insufficient and often lack clear objectives and standards, leading to the introduction of high-risk invasive species. ❌ Inconsistent post-border regulation of established invasives across states and territories. ❌ Listed threats often lack corresponding abatement plans or policies, and even when plans exist, implementation is often uncoordinated and unaccountable. ❌ There are no robust requirements for monitoring the status of threats or progress in abatement, hindering adaptive management and accountability. Have a read of our briefing note for Minister Murray Watt which goes into detail about the reforms we want to see, including: ✅ Strengthen prevention at the border by reforming the EPBC Act's live import provisions (Part 13A) to (1) Mandate a highly precautionary, risk-averse approach for all live import decisions (2) Extend assessment requirements to fungi, protists, viruses, bacteria, archaeobacteria, not just plants and animals (3) Create a "prohibited list" for unsuitable taxa (4) establish an independent scientific committee to advise on decisions ✅ Enhance Australia's Threat Abatement System by (1) requiring systematic identification and listing (2) enabling flexible response options and action-oriented plans ✅ Establish a nationally consistent, risk-based scheme to regulate the sale and transport of invasive or potentially invasive species within Australia.

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Energy transitions are rarely linear. They appear #fragmented, sometimes frustratingly slow — yet the underlying trajectory is far steeper than surface trends suggest. Recent reflections in The Conversation Australia + NZ by Peter Newman Curtin University and Ray Willis The University of Western Australia underline something we see at the AUT School of Future Environments: the shift is not stalled, it is #accelerating. Framing it as failure risks #ClimateFatalism, while recognising the pace reveals extraordinary #Opportunity and #Innovation in #ClimateAction Finlay Macdonald Amir Ghaffarianhoseini https://lnkd.in/ggysXCuv Our #Research points to the same inflection. The rapid scaling of #Renewables, #Electrification, and #EnergyStorage is reshaping #UrbanSystems and #Infrastructure. What looks incremental at first glance is in fact exponential — a systems-level #TippingPoint. Declining #UnitCosts, #SCurve adoption, and the convergence of #DigitalTechnologies with clean energy are driving #EnergyTransitions across multiple #Sectors simultaneously. This compounding effect is rarely visible in headline graphs, yet it is decisive in determining the #SpeedOfChange. The critical question is no longer if the #EnergyTransition is happening — it is how our #Cities, #Industries, and #Institutions adapt to its acceleration. #SustainableDevelopment #SmartCities #BuiltEnvironment #Decarbonisation #NetZero #ClimateScience #FutureOfEnergy

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We’ve reformed the outdated flood funding approach to get defences built faster – the first major update since 2011. 20% of our record investment over the next decade is now earmarked for flood defences in deprived communities, helping to kickstart economic growth. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eB_fqNqj

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Australia's first National Climate Risk Assessment delivers a stark warning: climate risks will push our country's infrastructure beyond its engineering limits, causing disruption, damage and destruction across multiple states. The federal assessment released yesterday states that cascading, compounding and concurrent climate hazards will strain critical infrastructure systems nationwide, with extreme costs projected to reach $40 billion annually by 2050. This sobering national picture reinforces why Victoria must act decisively. In our state alone, extreme weather damage already costs approximately $2.7 billion annually. Without proactive adaptation measures, these costs will continue to rise as climate events become more frequent and severe. Our research, 'Weathering the storm' examines how Victoria can better protect critical infrastructure like roads, powerlines, and essential services from flooding, bushfires, and extreme winds. Most importantly, it demonstrates that early investment in adaptation solutions can deliver strong returns while keeping communities safer. Key insights from our research: ◾ Low-cost preventative measures - such as enhanced road maintenance and replacing overhead electricity conductors with insulated cables - can provide substantial returns on investment. ◾ Strategic adaptation planning can reduce disruption for people and businesses during extreme weather events. ◾ Early action costs significantly less than disaster recovery. Our analysis tested practical examples across Victoria's transport and energy networks, providing government with an evidence-based framework to assess climate risks and compare adaptation solutions. The research includes 7 recommendations to help the Victorian Government strengthen infrastructure resilience, from improving climate projections and asset management systems to better integrating climate risk into investment decisions. As Victoria's independent infrastructure adviser, we're committed to providing practical, evidence-based guidance that supports long-term planning and helps protect the infrastructure Victorians depend on every day. Read Weathering the storm: https://lnkd.in/gW_KY6X6 Read the National Climate Risk Assessment from Australian Climate Service: https://lnkd.in/g8ftaXiT The National Climate Risk Assessment makes it clear that no Australian community is immune from climate risks. Victoria can lead the way in building resilience through evidence-based infrastructure adaptation. As the national assessment highlights the urgent need for coordinated action, what role do you see infrastructure adaptation playing in building community resilience? We'd welcome your thoughts on how we can better prepare for our changing climate. #climatechange #risk #climate #infrastructure #adaptation

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The Bay of Plenty is one of New Zealand’s fastest growing regions. That growth creates opportunity for investment and development, while also bringing challenges such as housing demand, infrastructure lag and funding pressures. At our recent event in Tauranga, speakers Simon Court MP, Steven Joyce and Jeremy Hay shared perspectives on how the region can respond. The discussion highlighted the need for smarter tools that provide certainty for investors and communities, policy settings that give regions a stronger voice in national planning, and alignment across councils, iwi, investors and communities to ensure priorities, timelines and funding pathways are clear. The Bay has both the scale and the ambition to put these approaches into practice. By focusing on certainty, alignment and long-term value, the region can demonstrate how growth challenges can be turned into outcomes that benefit communities. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/g4QjB_rF

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