Bligh appoints independent Fitzroy water quality expert

Premier Anna Bligh has today appointed an independent expert to head a panel reporting directly to her on Fitzroy River water quality issues.

Emeritus Professor Barry Hart is recently retired from Monash University and has an international reputation in water quality management, environmental risk assessment and environmental chemistry.

“The Professor will report directly to me. He is clearly independent,” said the Premier.

“His appointment has been made on the advice of the University of Queensland Vice Chancellor Professor Paul Greenfield and Mark Pascoe, the CEO of the International WaterCentre.

“Late yesterday the Member for Rockhampton Robert Schwarten and I met with Cabinet colleagues Andrew McNamara (Sustainability, Climate Change and Innovation), Geoff Wilson (Energy and Mines) and Craig Wallace (Natural Resources and Water) and their department heads to strengthen the government’s response to Fitzroy River water quality concerns.

“The advice given to us is that salt levels are well within acceptable levels both for humans and aquatic life, but we want to be better informed,” said the Premier.

Prof Greenfield and Mr Pascoe are to support Prof Hart.

Mr Schwarten thanked the Premier for her response.

“I stressed to the Premier, and again to yesterday’s meeting, just how important the Fitzroy (River) is to all of CQ,” said Mr Schwarten.

“As well the Capricorn Conservation Council’s Ian Herbert and a representative from the Central Queensland University are to be added to the current Fitzroy River Technical Working Group.

Other commitments from Monday’s meeting include:
? an increased monitoring of water quality by the EPA,
? increased monitoring of all aquatic life in the Fitzroy River system by EPA

Mr McNamara will be in Rockhampton tomorrow for a meeting with local stakeholders.

He will be the lead Minister reporting back to the Premier while the Government’s administrative oversight will be by undertaken by NRM&W Director-General Scott Spencer.

Media contact: Premier’s Office 3224 4500

(attached Prof Hart’s CV and Queensland Health statement)

Emeritus Professor Barry Hart

Speciality areas

Environmental chemistry

Biogeochemical cycling of elements

Stream ecology

Real-time instrumentation

Resource management

Qualifications

Dip. App. Chem. (Bendigo, 1959)

Dip. Chem. Eng. (Swinburne, 1963)

B. Sc. (Hons) (first class, Melbourne Uni, 1969)

Ph.D. (Chemistry) (Monash, 1972)

Relevant experience

10 years as Head of the Department of Chemistry and Biology

15 years as Director of the Water Studies Centre

25 years of teaching and research

Supervised 27 successful postgraduate candidates, currently supervising 9 PhD and Masters candidates

Member of many academic committees

Member of the Australian Water Research Advisory Council (1985-1987)

Member of the Victorian Government Latrobe Valley Wastewater Inquiry (1989-1990)

Chairman of the RACI Environmental Chemistry Division (1989-1992)

President of the International Association of Sediment-Water Science (1993-1996)

Member of the Victorian EPA Scientific Advisory Committee (1992-present)

Member of the Victorian Catchment and Land Protection Council (1994-present)

Awards

Jolly Award (1972) from the Australian Society for Limnology

Environment Medal from the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (1996)

Fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute

Editorial boards

Advances in Environmental Science

Aust. J. Ecotoxicology

Professor Barry T Hart

Professor Barry Hart is Director of the environmental consulting company –

Water Science Pty Ltd, having recently retired from Monash University. He is still

associated with Monash University as an Emeritus Professor. He also served for

10 years as Deputy Director Research of the CRC for Freshwater Ecology.

Barry has established an international reputation in the fields of water quality

management, environmental risk assessment and environmental chemistry

(heavy metal and nutrient biogeochemistry). He has published over 160 refereed

papers and 12 books, and is on the editorial board of 5 international journals.

Barry has received several awards, including the Limnology Medal (1982) from

the Australian Society for Limnology, the Environmental Chemistry Medal (1996)

and Applied Chemistry Medal (1998) from the Royal Australian Chemical

Institute, and in 2003 a Centenary Medal for services to water quality

management and environmental protection.

Barry is well known for his sustained efforts in developing knowledge-based

decision making processes in natural resource management in Australia and

south-east Asia. Barry is currently a member of the Victorian Environment

Assessment Council and chairs the Gippsland Lakes & Catchment Taskforce, Yarra

Coordinating Committee, Gippsland Water’s Technical Advisory Committee, the

DSE Environmental Flows Technical Audit Panel, the Great Barrier Reef Water

Quality Partnership Science Advisory Panel, Melbourne Water’s Waterways

Advisory Committee and EPA Vic’s Science Futures Panel.

Barry was also a member of the Expert Advisory Taskforce for the Victorian White

Paper (Securing Our Water Future Together) released in June 2004, the Victorian

Environment Protection Authority Board, the Victorian Catchment Management

Council, the Alligator Rivers Region Technical Committee and the Gippsland

Integrated Natural Resources Forum. He also acts as Science Advisor to South

East Queensland Water and PIRVic Land & Water Group.

Emeritus Professor Barry Hart

Address: Water Studies Centre
Monash University
Wellington Road,
Clayton, Victoria, 3800,
Australia

Phone: (03) 9905 5532
Fax: (03) 9905 4196
Email: Barry.Hart@sci.monash.edu.au
Website: http://www.waterscience.com.au/

Professor Barry Hart was conferred with the title of Emeritus Professor on the 1st Feb 2006, to mark his distinguished service with Monash University. Prior to this Professor Hart was the Director of the Water Studies Centre and Professor of Environmental Chemistry at Monash University for many years. He has established an international reputation in the fields of aquatic chemistry (heavy metal and nutrient biogeochemistry), water quality management and ecological risk assessment. He has received several awards, including the Limnology Medal (1982) from the Australian Society for Limnology, and the Environmental Chemistry Medal (1996) and Applied Chemistry Medal (1998) from the Royal Australian Chemical Institute. His work over many years in developing water quality guidelines for Australia is well recognised. This work commenced in 1974 with the production of the Compilation of Australian Water Quality Criteria. Then in 1982 he produced Australian Water Quality Criteria for Heavy Metals and in 1992 completed a new set of Australian Water Quality Guidelines for the Australian & New Zealand Environment & Conservation Council (ANZECC). He was also influential in the team that produced the recent (2000) Australian and New Zealand water quality guidelines. Professor Hart also has a high public profile as an educator and scientific researcher, who seeks to convert research knowledge into a form that can be used by resource management agencies and industry. He has an established track record for working successfully to bring tertiary institutions and industry & resource management agencies closer together. Professor Hart is currently a member of the Victorian Catchment Management Council, the key advisory body on resource management in Victoria, a Board member of the Victorian Environment Protection Authority, and a member of the Gippsland Lakes & Catchment Taskforce recently established by Sherryl Garbutt (Minister for Environment & Conservation), and Chair of the Alligator Rivers Region Technical Committee.

Emeritus Professor Barry Hart

Publications

Over 130 publications in refereed scientific literature

7 books

Many unrefereed articles and reports

Many invited lectures in Australia and overseas

Research

Total funding: in excess of $6 million over the past five years

Major sources: ARC, LWRRDC, GIRD, DEET and industry

Current research projects:

1.Nutrient uptake and release from lowland river sediments
With Dr R Beckett and Dr M Grace (Monash Uni) and CSIRO Centre for Environmental Mechanics
NEMP grant: $220,000 over 18 months, 1996-1997

2.Australia-Indonesia Ennvironmental Science, Water Quality and Waste Treatment
With Dr I McKelvie (Monash Uni), Swinburne University of Technology and DEET
Targeted Institutional Links Program grant: $245,000 over 3 years, 1996-1996

3.Study of Eutrophication in Saguling Reservoir, Indonesia
With Dr Nanin, Padjadjaran University, Bandung, Indonesia
DEET grant: $50,000 over 1 year, 1996

4.New process controlled sequential batch reactors for nutrient removal from sewage effluents
With Dr I McKelvie and Dr G Cross (Monash Uni), Department of Chemical Engineering (University of Queensland), Sydney Water Corporation, NSW Dept. Land and Water Conservation
GIRD grant: $980,000 over 3 years, 1995-1998

5.Development of methods for measuring 'bioavailable' phosphorus concentrations
With D I McKelvie (Monash Uni)
CRC for Freshwater Ecology grant: $340,000 over 3 years (1994-1997)

6.Nutrient dynamics in the Darling River
With Dr R Beckett (Monash Uni), Murray-Darling Freshwater Research Centre, CSIRO Division of Water Resources
Murray-Darling Basin Commission grant: $750,000 over 3 years (1993-1996)

7.Relationship between river turbidity and catchment condition
With Dr R Beckett (Monash Uni) and Dr B Finlayson (Melbourne Uni)
LWRRDC grant: $204,000 over 4 years (1992-1996)

8.Microbial indicators of water quality
LWRRDC grant: $185,000 over 3 years (1993-1996)

9.Heavy metal mobilisation in the River Murray
With Dr R Beckett (Monash Uni)
AKZO Chemicals grant: $192,000 over 2 years (1993-1996)

Consulting

Total funds over the past five years: in excess of $1.5 million

Current and recent consultancies:

1.Review of ANZECC Water Quality Guidelines for Physical and Chemical Stressors
Client:

2.Review of water quality investigations for the Lesotho Highland project
Client: Lesotho Highlands Development Authority

3.Environmental audit of irrigation drains
Client: Goulburn Murray Water through Sinclair Knight Merz

4.Porgera mine: Riverine impact of the Pogera mine - Water Quality review
Client: Porgera Joint Venture through CSIRO

5.Development of a sediment investigation program for the Hawkesbury-Nepean river
Client: Sydney Water Corporation

6.Review of water quality monitoring for the Snowy Mountains Authority
Client: Snowy Mountains Hydroelectricity Authority