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.


Emma Solomon Branch Head, Commonwealth, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
Emma Solomon is the Branch Head of Water Markets and Regulatory Policy in the Water Policy Division at the Department of Climate Change, Energy the Environment and Water (DCCEEW). Emma was the department lead on the Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Act 2023 to support delivery of the Basin Plan and establish a new integrity framework for Basin water markets. Prior to working in the Commonwealth, Emma worked in senior water and natural resource management policy reform and legal roles for the NSW Government.


Jo-Ellen Courtney, Assistant Director, Commonwealth Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW)
Jo-Ellen Courtney is an Assistant Director in the Water Markets and Regulatory Policy Branch at the Commonwealth DCCEEW.   Jo-Ellen forms part of the Conduct, Integrity and Data Reform team that worked on the Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Act 2023 to support the new transparency and integrity framework for Basin water markets. Prior to working at DCCEEW, Jo-Ellen worked at Standards Australia in a range of roles between 2014-2023 facilitating groups of stakeholders to reach consensus in the development of Australian Standards.

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.


Emma Solomon Branch Head, Commonwealth, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
Emma Solomon is the Branch Head of Water Markets and Regulatory Policy in the Water Policy Division at the Department of Climate Change, Energy the Environment and Water (DCCEEW). Emma was the department lead on the Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Act 2023 to support delivery of the Basin Plan and establish a new integrity framework for Basin water markets. Prior to working in the Commonwealth, Emma worked in senior water and natural resource management policy reform and legal roles for the NSW Government.


Jo-Ellen Courtney, Assistant Director, Commonwealth Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW)
Jo-Ellen Courtney is an Assistant Director in the Water Markets and Regulatory Policy Branch at the Commonwealth DCCEEW.   Jo-Ellen forms part of the Conduct, Integrity and Data Reform team that worked on the Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Act 2023 to support the new transparency and integrity framework for Basin water markets. Prior to working at DCCEEW, Jo-Ellen worked at Standards Australia in a range of roles between 2014-2023 facilitating groups of stakeholders to reach consensus in the development of Australian Standards.