ILWS - Institute of Land, Water and Society

Events

Past Events

2013 / 2012 / 2011 / 2010 / 2009 / 2008 / 2007 / 2006 / 2005

Coming up

2013

Regional Rail Revival A seminar exploring the future for regional railways in New South Wales Speakers • Mr Ed Zsombor, Director of Rail Services, Province of Saskatchewan, Canada • Mr Bryan Nye, CEO Australasian Railway Association • Mr Frank Lander, Senior Policy Officer, Department of Transport Victoria • Associate Professor Ian Gray, Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University Governments often adopt policies aimed at reducing the proportion of freight on roads and increasing the proportion on rail. The policies rarely succeed, and many lines remain under-utilised or not used at all. Often the road share just keeps growing and the road transport industry strains to meet the demand. Such is the case in eastern Australia, despite appeals from coastal and inland towns and cities suffering from congestion, environmental, health and safety issues and growing road capital and maintenance costs. Regional areas suffer from high freight costs, constraining economic development. Councils are expected to take up the burden of increased road maintenance. At the ‘Regional Rail Revival’ seminar we will look at what freight railways can offer regional areas and how railways interstate and overseas have been revived for national as well as local benefit. Following an initiative taken by five local government councils, the railway line south from Blayney to Demondrille is being considered by the New South Wales Government for revival. The cooperative process, involving State and local government, has revealed a potentially viable railway worthy of revival. It has also demonstrated the potential of regional railways and laid the ground for partnerships between industry and all levels of government. The seminar will offer an update on this process and discuss how the Blayney-Demondrille model can be applied in different situations. Hosted by Charles Sturt University, Blayney Shire Council & Lachlan Regional Transport Committee, with the support of Cowra , Harden, Weddin and Young Councils.

Friday 10 May 2013 9.30 am - 12.30pm. Blayney Community Centre RSVP by 2 May to Anne McKellar: amckellar@blayney.nsw.gov.au For more details contact Associate Professor Ian Gray FLYER

Recent Events

Adaptation policy for the conservation and management of nationally and internationally important wetlands Workshop

A two-day workshop to discuss what information Australia needs to meet its international obligations for its inland and coastal wetlands covered by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands has been hailed has “very forward-looking and very interesting” according to international wetland expert Prof Nick Davidson.

The workshop, hosted in by the Institute, in associated with the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF) and the Society of Wetland Scientists (Oceania chapter) was held at the Arthur Rylah Institute in Melbourne April 16-17.

Photo from left:Prof Max Finlayson Hugh Roberston (Department of Conservation, New Zealand), Paula Warren (Department of Conservation, New Zealand), Kerry Bodmin (National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, New Zealand) and Marc Schallenberg (University of Otago, New Zealand, Photographer Di Crowley)

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