2011 VCCCAR Annual Forum

Event location: 
Capital Theatre, Bendigo
Date: 
Monday, May 2, 2011

Highlights from the 2011 VCCCAR Annual Forum are now available - follow the link.

Follow the highlighted links for information about: the rationale for the forum; associated events; the forum venue; keynote presenters; program highlights; detailed program; workshop details; and registration, travel and accommodation.

 

 

 

About the Forum
 

VCCCAR's 2nd Annual Forum will showcase our current climate change research program, which engages leading climate adaptation expertise and ideas within the VCCCAR research community to assist the Victorian government and community better adapt to the impacts of climate change. Leading climate change scientists from the higher education sector and state and federal government agencies will join senior government decision-makers to outline work to date and future climate change adaption research priorities.

In addition to outlining current and future research, the Forum aims to promote interaction between stakeholders in the climate change adaptation sphere. The Forum program, comprising keynote presentations, plenary sessions, workshops and a dinner is structured to maximise opportunities for interaction between researchers, government decision-makers and other interested stakeholders.

Associated events

In addition to the Annual Forum, VCCCAR is hosting a public meeting to discuss the climate change impacts facing Bendigo towards 2030. "Surviving climate change: climate and community resilience in Central Victoria towards 2030" will be held at the Capital Theatre on Sunday, 1 May from 4 to 5.30 pm. More information about this event can be found in the promotional flyer.

Venue

The 2011 Annual Forum will be held in the Capital Theatre in the central Victorian city of Bendigo.

The Capital is located on historic View Street. Originally built as the Sandhurst Masonic Hall in 1873, the complex was reopened as a performing arts complex in 1991. The building boasts the finest entry of any arts centre in the nation, with towering Corinthian columns and an interior that has been restored to its original Victorian grandeur.

Today, The Capital is a hive of activity, hosting some of the best live theatre, musical, dance and comedy in the country and is also a popular conference venue. The Capital is located at 50 View Street, Bendigo.

The Capital website has more information about the Theatre's history and restoration.

Key presenters

     
Rob Gell          Mike Hulme     Will Steffen    Neville Nicholls

CV summaries for Forum presenters are available from this link.

VCCCAR is delighted to have Rob Gell as the Master of Ceremonies for the forum. Rob is well known for his promotion of environmental awareness through his media activities, leadership of Greening Australia and public speaking.

The keynote presentation will be given by Professor Mike Hulme from the University of East Anglia. A leading author and commentator on climate change (including major contributions to the Third Assessment Report of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), his work explores the idea of climate change using historical, cultural and scientific analyses, seeking to illuminate the numerous ways in which climate change is deployed in public and political discourse.

Professor Will Steffen will be guest speaker at the Forum dinner on Day 1. Will is a member of the Prime Minister's Multi-Party Climate Change Committee which was established in late 2010 with the aim of building national consensus on how Australia will tackle Climate Change.

Day 2 commences with a special presentation by Professor Neville Nicholls from Monash University.

Forum highlights

Day 1

  • Introduction
  • Welcome to Country
  • Welcome from the Mayor of Bendigo
  • Official launch
  • Keynote address from Professor Mike Hulme, University of East Anglia, Remaking the idea of "climate"
  • Forum dinner: guest speaker, Will Steffen, Australian National University

Day 2

  • Presentation by Professor Neville Nicholls, Monash University, Is climate change increasing the costs of weather-related disasters?
  • Overview of 2nd round VCCCAR research projects
  • 2 x workshops on current VCCCAR and related research
  • Plenary and panel session involving government decision-makers, climate change researchers and other climate change stakeholders
  • Forum conclusion:
    • Key messages
    • Where to from here?

More information about the Forum

The conference flyer can be downloaded from this page. The draft program has been updated as of 27 April. A map of the venue is available.

Information about the workshops

Follow these links for more information about the workshops. Summaries are now available for the Integrated Land Management, Scenarios for climate adaptation, Economic costing of climate change adaptation, Water sensitive regional development, Climate resilient Bendigo, Climate change and the emergency management sector and the Art of communication workshops.

Registration, travel and accommodation

The registration fee for the 2011 VCCCAR Annual Forum is $370 (includes attendance at the Forum and the dinner on 2 May). The registraton fee for the Forum alone is $250. The registration form is available in pdf and word formats.

There are numerous acommodation options for visitors to Bendigo. A list of nearby accommodation can be accessed here (alternatively, visit the Bendigo Tourism website). 

For information on how to travel to Bendigo from Melbourne by public transport or car visit this page.

Information on relevant public transport within Bendigo can be found on this page.

For carparking information visit this page.

A map of central Bendigo is available from this link.

For more information

For program enquiries, contact VCCCAR
ph: +61 3 9035 8235
email: enquiries-vcccar@unimelb.edu.au

For registration enquiries, contact Patricia Ibbotson at the Centre for Sustainable Regional Communities, La Trobe University, Bendigo campus
ph: +61 3 5444 7859
P.ibbotson@latrobe.edu.au