It's P2 Month!
President David reminded us of today in 1666 - the fire of London and seemed ready to set fire under our Rotary meetings! As well today in 1939 USA President FDR stated that the USA will remain neutral at the beginning of WWII.
We were reminded that not only should we as civilised and ethical Rotarians living by the 4 Way Test in everything we do and say, we should also live by the Gold Rule "Do unto others as you would have them do to you" (* see Fines session for more on this)
Guest Speaker - Alistair Jones - Director General, Department of Water and Environmental Regulation
Alistair joined the Department of Water and Environmental
Regulation as Director General in January 2024. He arrived from the Department
of Treasury, where he was Assistant Under Treasurer of the Economic Business
Unit. Over 15 years in State Government, his leadership roles included a stint
as Acting Director General of the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and
Innovation in 2023.
He strives
to build strong relationships with Aboriginal organisations and community
leaders, to ensure the department builds on its reconciliation journey and
explores how Aboriginal teachings can be embedded into the work of the
department.
Alistair was born
in Nottingham, England and moved to regional WA when he was nine. He has a
Bachelor of Commerce and Master of Communication and spends much of his spare
time happily acting as a taxi driver for his two daughters. He is also Peter
Dowling’s son-in-law.
In his opening remarks, Alistair observed
his father was a Rotarian for 30 years in Bunbury and later in Como, and
Alastair himself tagged along to Rotary meetings in his early 20s, observing
the ethos of Rotary.
He
is not a typical environmental scientist, his background is in economics. He
led an independent review into the state's environmental approvals process,
known as the Vogel-McFerrin review, which resulted in him being appointed to
his current role to implement its findings.
WA is undergoing a rapid 'third industrial
revolution,' transforming its energy from oil to green energy (solar and wind),
a process expected to take about 15 years. This rapid and globally contested
change presents major challenges for the Department of Water and Environmental
Regulation (DWER).
- Approving large-scale solar farms requires
significant land clearing, with some projects having a footprint the size of a
small European country.
- To green the electricity network, the
state must double the size of its transmission infrastructure (poles and wires)
in ten years, a project estimated to cost $100 billion.
Primary water challenges facing Western
Australia?
Water usage is dominated by mining (35%)
and agriculture (about 33%).
Despite recent heavy rains, groundwater
sources are being depleted faster than they can be recharged, due to poor
streamflow and increased ground absorption from previous dry summers.
The state will increasingly depend on
desalination for drinking water, with two plants (Kwinana and Binningup)
already covering Perth's needs and a new one being built at Alkimos.
Industries, particularly in the Pilbara, will also need to build desalination
plants to meet their water needs, with several already in the pipeline.
Desalination is extremely energy-intensive, however multiple desalination
plants need to be built in the next five years, and they require a green energy
source as the state moves away from coal and aims for renewable energy to meet
emissions targets.
A major project to address the water
crisis by building multiple desalination plants is critically dependent on a
massive expansion of the green energy grid. However, the corresponding $100
billion, 10-year plan to double the electricity transmission network is at high
risk of failure due to unresolved conflicts between large-scale land clearing
and environmental protection, as well as significant hurdles in land
acquisition and project approvals.
A multi-faceted approach to water
management is necessary, combining public conservation, industrial reuse, water
recycling, and stormwater capture, alongside regulatory enforcement against
water wastage and illegal dumping.
In conclusion, there is no resolution on
how to reform the state's fundamentally unsustainable water model, which
currently allows for free groundwater extraction. A transition to a priced
system is necessary for long-term sustainability, but there is no clear plan to
manage the significant negative economic impact this would have on key
industries, particularly agriculture and mining.
It is certainly a big responsibility for
Alistair…
Alistair’s full presentation can be viewed at:
millpointrotaryclub.org.au>members only (password)> this
link>Guest Speaker Presentations>JONES Alistair – WA Environment &
Water Resources.
*****
Director/Member announcements
Jenny McL and Lorrie G : The Sewing Sisters (TSS) now in Tanzania thanks to Lorries brother who has the materials and staff to make this work for 4 secondary schools. Lorrie also raised $318 for offtraq through recycling bottles and cans.
Gerry McG : Help wanted with the 12,000 pieces of linen project. Why: Packing a 20’ container with about 12k units of linen rescued from the Pilbara mines. Container will go to the needy in Melbourne.
Where: Rapallo, 10 Elmsfield Rd, Midvale
When: Sat 13th, 8:30
Duration: About 2-3 hours
Helpers: About 7 or 8 would be good
Bring: Gloves, oldish clothes, sense of humour
Reply to Gerry Please:Gerrmcgann@iiNet.net.au 0438 642 738
VALE: The 'Celebration of Life' for Peter Craig will be held Wednesday 10 September, 2.30pm at the WA Golf Club 60 Hayes Avenue, Yokine.
Wayne: WANTED: Members with cars to join Wayne on a preliminary Fundraising event 9.30am Sunday 21 September for about 90 minutes to follow a route Wayne is hoping to replace the BulldustNBack and the Ramble. RSVP Wayne on 0414 249 972 for further details.
Kelly G: Ride the Train to End Polio or just wear your Polio T-shirt on Friday 24 October. See flyer under Events by scrolling down.
Brian J: Members will be sent a link to the annual survey so please help us by completing as much as you can. This will allow us to reach our goals and help with our strategic plan for 2025-2026.
Owen F: Guess Who's Coming To Dinner 20 September. Always a good night and lots of fun! Please let Owen know if you would like to be a host or guest(s) - see flyer for more details in Events by scrolling down.
Fine(ally)
Finesmeister Wayne took to the podium amongst thunderous silence.
- Tomorrow is colour blindness day so if you are not colour blind - a dollar please!
- Collingwood supporters - mainly Ian K who can also put in a dollar for the late Peter Craig.
- Any and all those who have lived in Victoria now that Victoria is deemed the North Korea of Australia!
- Father's Day celebrants on Sunday.
- Gerry McG - Freo is the best tourist town in WA?
- Ross Smith - for trying to pay his breakfast with his seniors card!
- Chinese automobile owners - please use Ausralian Dollars not Chinese Yen.
Lyn Metcalf bought the box because the Golden rule is "He who has the gold, makes the rules!"
Winner of Heads and Tails
A very quick H&T where the tossing of 2 x heads and then 2 x tails drew a tie between Owen F and John O'S - guess who got the wine?
Attendance
32 attendees in all, including guest speaker Alistair Jones and visitors Andy George, and Shaun & Carole O'Brien.
