Conference 1

Exploring Sustainable Cities

This conference looked at sustainability in our cities and communities in a broader context. We explored what sustainability means to councils around Australia, and considered the benchmarks the local government sector uses to measure its sustainability performance.

This conference looked at sustainability in our cities and communities in a broader context. We explored what sustainability means to councils around Australia, and considered the benchmarks the local government sector uses to measure its sustainability performance.

Conference Program

Laura Harvey - Managing Editor, Council Magazine

Welcome remarks

Natasha Palich - Executive Officer, Council Alliance for a Sustainable Built Environment

The power of CASBE: connecting and magnifying council achievements

Roger Swinbourne, Australasia Sustainability Leader, ARUP

The next steps for local governments in their sustainability journey

Gordon Falconer, Strategic Smart City Consultant

Using the UN SDGs and KPIs for Smart Cities – Norwegian Cities Approach

PANEL - SDGs and local government: rising to the challenge and reaping the benefits

Corrine Schoch - Head of Programmes, UN Global Compact

Julie Boulton - Sustainability Advisor, Monash Sustainable Development Institute

Dr Lucas Carmody - Director, Integrated Infrastructure, PwC Australia

Laura Harvey - Managing Editor, Council Magazine

Closing remarks

Meet The Speakers

Corrine Schoch - Head of Programmes, Global Compact Network Australia

Corinne Schoch is Head of Programmes of the Global Compact Network Australia (GCNA); the Australian Local Network of the United Nations (UN) Global Compact. Corinne is a climate change and sustainability professional with fifteen years’ experience working globally across the corporate, development and social sectors. As Head of Programmes, Corinne leads and manages the GCNA’s five strategic workstreams: Antibribery and Corruption, Environment and Climate Change, Human Rights, Inclusion and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Corinne was recently appointed to the FAO-UNDP Scaling up Climate Ambition on Land Use and Agriculture through NDCs and NAPs (SCALA) Advisory Committee.

Corinne holds a Bachelor of Science, Masters of Science (International Security and Global Governance) and completed a Corporate Sustainability course at New York University Stern Business School.


Julie Boulton - Sustainability Advisor, Monash Sustainable Development Institute

Julie is a sustainable development expert, specialising in the application of sustainability concepts (planetary boundaries, doughnut economics and wellbeing) and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She works across all 17 SDGs, with a particular focus on embedding the SDGs into planning and strategy and the practical realisation of SDG 12, responsible consumption and production (assisting Australia’s fashion eco-system in efforts to embed circular economy principles). Julie is a former public servant, with over ten years of experience in the Federal Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She has private sector experience (trained and worked as a lawyer) and non-government experience (World Vision). Julie holds a Masters in International Development from RMIT and a Bachelor of Law/Arts degree from Deakin University.


Natasha Palich - Executive Officer,
Council Alliance for a Sustainable Built Environment

Natasha Palich is a registered architect, the Principal of Sense Architecture and the Executive Officer of the Council Alliance for a Sustainable Built Environment. 

Natasha has been practicing and promoting sustainable approaches to architecture since the mid 1990s through the practical application of design solutions in small-scale residential projects, and, as an advocate for sustainable design in the design and local government sector.


Gordon Falconer - Strategic Smart City Consultant

Gordon is a City Strategist and currently the Head of Smart Cities for GMR Group, a major infrastructure & airport owner, in India as well as an Advisor to OIER Group in Vienna who runs the UN United 4 Smart Cities programme. He is also an urban developer and global thought leader in cities, who has been based in Abu Dhabi, Singapore and Norway for the last 16 years until returning to Melbourne last year.

Previously he was with Cisco as Director of Urban Innovation and Schneider Electric as Global Director of Smart Cities. Previously he was the Head of Strategy & Real Estate at Masdar City, Abu Dhabi. He has worked worldwide with Federal and regional governments, NGO’s, the UN, World Bank and European Commission and has also worked in Local Government in Melbourne previously.

He is a member of the Australian Property Institute and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and is from Melbourne, Australia.


Dr. Lucas Carmody - Director - Integrated Infrastructure,
PwC Australia

Dr Lucas Carmody is an urban economist, who works as an Associate Director for PwC Australia. He has a direct understanding of the legislative and non-legislative circular economy measures being targeted at key industries in the EU. Lucas has experience working across Australia and the Netherlands providing evidence-based advice on the social, environmental and economic implications of infrastructure and sustainable development projects.


Roger Swinbourne - Australasia Sustainability Leader
ARUP

Roger is a Sustainability Consultant with over 20 years of experience in sustainability planning, urban development and infrastructure in Australia, Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

He leads Arup’s sustainability team across Australasia, which focuses on facilitating improved sustainability, carbon and resilience outcomes from major programs and projects. Roger has experience working closely with both industry and governments in setting strategies and delivering improved social, economic and environmental outcomes for clients and their projects.

He brings to Arup a deep understanding of a range of international frameworks and rating tools at the city, precinct, infrastructure and building scales, and an appreciation of the emergence and growth of ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) finance and the impact it will have in driving positive change in the areas of carbon, energy, social and resilience.

Some of his recent sustainable development advisory work includes Western Sydney International Airport Sustainable Infrastructure Strategy, Circular Quay Redevelopment Sustainability Framework and Sydney Bays Precinct sustainability strategy. He has recently been a member of an expert panel for the NSW Government in developing a decarbonisation strategy for NSW.

Roger was named one of the Green Star Champions for 2020 by the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA). He is a member of the GBCA, Green Star Communities Educator on Faculty, Assessor and Accredited Professional and is a guest lecturer for the Master of Urban Planning and Infrastructure course at UNSW, and the Urban Ecology course at The University of Sydney. He is a published author: Playing the long game (Asia Pacific Airports) and chapter author in Decarbonising the Built Environment Charting the Transition.