Presenters

Mike Young, Professor Emeritus, Water and Environmental Policy, University of Adelaide
Mike Young is Professor Emeritus in Water and Environmental Policy at the University of Adelaide, was the Founding Executive Director of its Environment Institute, is a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia and is a Distinguished Fellow of the Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society. Mike is a specialist in water policy reform and his research led to the unbundling of Australia’s water licences and the resultant development of an efficient trading system and the Australian Government decision to transfer responsibility for the administration of the Murray Darling Basin’s water resources to an independent expertise-based authority. He played a key role in establishing Australia’s National Land and Water Resources Audit. Mike has held the Gough Whitlam and Malcom Fraser Chair at Harvard University, has served on Global Water Partnership's Technical Committee and the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Water Security. He was a founding member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists. In 2006, Mike was awarded Australia’s premier water research prize – the Land and Water Australia Eureka Award for Water Research. He has played a critical role in the consideration of options for the Murray Darling Basin. Prior to joining the University of Adelaide, Mike spent 30 years with CSIRO where, amongst other things, he established their Policy and Economic Research Unit. In 2003, Mike was awarded a Centenary Medal “for outstanding service through environmental economics”. His full curriculum vitae lists over 240 publications.


Grace Mang, General Manager, Murray Darling Basin Authority
Grace Mang is a water lawyer and worked in river basin management for more than two decades. She has worked with non-for profits and governments to promote stronger relationships and multi-sector dialogues to support the sustainable management of rivers around the world, and the livelihoods that these rivers support. Grace has worked as a policy adviser on water and environment at the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, as International Rivers’ Director of Programs and oversaw its China Program from Beijing – China where she developed leading environmental and social policies with the world’s largest dam builders, and is currently a General Manager at the Murray-Darling Basin Authority where she leads the preparations for the 2026 Basin Plan Review. She has an economics and law degree from the University of Sydney and is admitted as a lawyer to the Supreme Court of New South Wales.

Presenters

Mike Young, Professor Emeritus, Water and Environmental Policy, University of Adelaide
Mike Young is Professor Emeritus in Water and Environmental Policy at the University of Adelaide, was the Founding Executive Director of its Environment Institute, is a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia and is a Distinguished Fellow of the Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society. Mike is a specialist in water policy reform and his research led to the unbundling of Australia’s water licences and the resultant development of an efficient trading system and the Australian Government decision to transfer responsibility for the administration of the Murray Darling Basin’s water resources to an independent expertise-based authority. He played a key role in establishing Australia’s National Land and Water Resources Audit. Mike has held the Gough Whitlam and Malcom Fraser Chair at Harvard University, has served on Global Water Partnership's Technical Committee and the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Water Security. He was a founding member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists. In 2006, Mike was awarded Australia’s premier water research prize – the Land and Water Australia Eureka Award for Water Research. He has played a critical role in the consideration of options for the Murray Darling Basin. Prior to joining the University of Adelaide, Mike spent 30 years with CSIRO where, amongst other things, he established their Policy and Economic Research Unit. In 2003, Mike was awarded a Centenary Medal “for outstanding service through environmental economics”. His full curriculum vitae lists over 240 publications.


Grace Mang, General Manager, Murray Darling Basin Authority
Grace Mang is a water lawyer and worked in river basin management for more than two decades. She has worked with non-for profits and governments to promote stronger relationships and multi-sector dialogues to support the sustainable management of rivers around the world, and the livelihoods that these rivers support. Grace has worked as a policy adviser on water and environment at the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, as International Rivers’ Director of Programs and oversaw its China Program from Beijing – China where she developed leading environmental and social policies with the world’s largest dam builders, and is currently a General Manager at the Murray-Darling Basin Authority where she leads the preparations for the 2026 Basin Plan Review. She has an economics and law degree from the University of Sydney and is admitted as a lawyer to the Supreme Court of New South Wales.