Speaker Profiles
Dr Peter Christoff
Dr Peter Christoff has taught environmental politics and policy at
Melbourne since 1997. Previously he worked as the Assistant to the
Commissioner to the Environment in Victoria and, as a consultant,
assisted in the establishment of the National State of Environment
reporting program.
He is also currently the Vice-President of the Australian Conservation
Foundation and a member of the Premier's Climate Change Reference Group.
Peter's research interests include Australia's environmental politics,
climate change policy in the Asia-Pacific region and Europe, He is a
frequent media commentator on climate policy in Australia, and has
published widely on climate policy, including Australian Climate Law
(Federation Press, with Tim Bonyhandy) in 2007.
Kelly O'Shanassy
Kelly O'Shanassy is the Chief Executive Officer of Environment Victoria,
the State's leading non-government voice on the environment. Ms
O'Shanassy has an extensive background in sustainability, within the public, private
and community sector. She was author of Victoria's Framework for Environmental
Sustainability and set the directions for Melbourne's future water supplies and
conservation actions. Kelly has established world-first environment protection
policies and maintains a strong voice for a sustainable Victoria. Kelly is a
Director of WaterKeepers Australia, a member of the Commissioner for
Sustainability's Advisory Board and a member of the Plastics and Chemical Industries
Association Community Advisory Board. She enjoys the great outdoors and can be found
kayaking along Victoria's rivers in her spare time.
Kevin Love
Kevin Love is an Executive member of the Department for Sustainability
and Environment, Victoria. He is the Deputy Secretary with
responsibility for Public Land Stewardship and Biodiversity. Kevin is
responsible for ensuring that all public land management and resource
utilisation is consistent with sustainability policy and represents best
practices in environmental management. He was previously Deputy
Secretary, Public Land, Heritage and Biodiversity with the former
Department of Natural Resources and Environment. Before that he was
Director, Resources and Infrastructure with the Department of Premier
and Cabinet, Victoria.
Dr Ian McPhail, AM
Dr Ian McPhail, AM, is Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability,
Victoria, and was previously the Deputy Director-General of the
Queensland Environmental Protection Agency. His current role is governed
by Victoria's Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability Act 2003.
The Commissioner is an environmental guardian for Victoria - an
independent voice that advocates, audits and reports on environmental
sustainability. He has a PhD in human geography and was a lecturer in
geography at the University of New England in the 1970s before entering
public service. He then became Executive Director of the Queensland
Parks and Wildlife Service, Chair of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
Authority, the inaugural Executive Director of the Commonwealth
Environmental Protection Agency, and the CEO of a number of agencies in
South Australia. He participated in the Rio de Janeiro United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development in 1992 as part of the
Australian delegation, and the Johannesburg World Summit in 2002. Dr
McPhail has the unique experience of being sequentially a Commissioner
of the Murray-Darling Basin Commission for three governments - South
Australia, the Commonwealth and Queensland. While he was Chair of the
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, he participated in the
development of Australia's Ocean Policy, which resulted in, among other
developments, the creation of the National Oceans Office.
Chaired by: Rob Gell
Rob is a coastal geomorphologist by training; he taught Environmental Science and Physical Geography at Melbourne State College and Melbourne University, then for thirty years has presented television weather.
In his professional life he works as an environmental and communications consultant and is a Director of World Wind Pty Ltd. He is also a published author and a photographer.
World Wind Pty Ltd consolidates Rob?s business activities with a focus on communications and marketing, business strategy and sustainable development project design and responds to the need for business to be informed about new issues and actively develop new development plans and programs to ensure an understanding of changing markets, the emerging green economy and the need for a positive and accountable contribution on behalf of shareholders and stakeholders alike.
He is the national President of Greening Australia Limited, Chairman of the Mornington Peninsula and Westernport Biosphere Reserve Foundation Ltd. and a member of the Victorian Coastal Council. Rob is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and an Inaugural Fellow of the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand. He was Environment Ambassador to the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games. Rob has been a local government councillor and was a councillor of the Australian Conservation Foundation through the 1990s.
He is also the Patron of the Geography Teachers Association of Victoria, Wildlife Victoria, Life Education Victoria, a Mentor of the Environmental Jobs Network and has been made a Life Ambassador for Australia Day.
Rob Gell is a uniquely qualified individual who has the respect of government, business, environmental groups and the community for his approach to sustainable development. Importantly he is also an excellent communicator who can get the message across.