Conferences

Lake Eyre Basin Biennial Conferences
Lake Eyre Basin Aboriginal Forums

Lake Eyre Basin Biennial Conferences

Under the Agreement the Ministerial Forum convenes a conference to be attended by the members of the Ministerial Forum, members of committees appointed or adopted under this Agreement and of other interested groups, interested individuals, scientific and technical advisers and senior government officers. The conference is held on at least a biennial basis.

The aim of the Conference is to provide the opportunity for members of the Lake Eyre Basin community, scientists, government officials and other parties with an interest in the sustainable management of the Basin to exchange information and views relevant to the implementation of the Lake Eyre Basin Intergovernmental Agreement.

Longreach Conference 2008

The fourth Lake Eyre Basin Biennial Conference will be held on Monday 15^th and Tuesday 16^th September 2008 in Longreach, Queensland, at the RM Williams Cottage, Longreach Stockman’s Hall of Fame and Outback Heritage Centre.

Based around the theme ‘The Lake Eyre Basin Agreement — Foundations for a Five Year Action Plan’, the conference will be an opportunity for participating Governments, Community and Scientific Advisory Committees, Regional NRM Boards and their associated Catchment or District Committees/Groups, and related State/Territory Departments, local government agencies, industry groups and NGO’s to discuss future planning for the Lake Eyre Basin Agreement.

The conference goals will be:

To discuss and recommend on the foundations, directions and core content of the Five-Year Action Plan for the Lake Eyre Basin Agreement
To exchange knowledge and to plan key collaborations among main players in natural resource management in the Lake Eyre Basin

Download the 2008 Conference brochure

Renmark Conference 2006

The third Lake Eyre Basin Biennial Conference was held at the Chaffey Theatre in Renmark, South Australia, on Thursday 7th and Friday 8th September 2006, closely linked to the 2006 Biennial Conference of the Australian Rangeland Society.

Together, the two conferences occupied the week from 4th to 8th September 2006, with opportunities for delegates to attend both conferences or parts of each.

Drawing on the conference themes, ‘People, Place and Possibilities’, the LEB conference brought together a wide range of people from the community, government, industry and research sectors, and developed clear messages for the first, formal 5-year review of the LEB Agreement conducted in 2006-07. Key messages included:

the uniqueness of the Lake Eyre Basin on a world scale
the inseparable links between people and place, and the need to deal with them together
the importance of community involvement, especially Aboriginal communities of the Basin
the importance of leadership and diversity
the importance of continued improvements in our knowledge of the Basin.

Alice Springs Conference 2004

The second Lake Eyre Basin Biennial Conference was held at the Crowne plaza Hotel in Alice Springs on the 27-29 October 2004. The Conference coincided with the fourth anniversary of the signing of the Lake Eyre Basin Intergovernmental Agreement. The conference also welcomed the Northern Territory, which became signatory to the agreement in June 2004.

The themes for the Conference:

Working together
Sharing knowledge

Download the Proceedings of Conference 2004 as a PDF file

Birdsville Conference 2002

The inaugural Lake Eyre Basin Ministerial Forum Biennial Conference was held at the Birdsville Community Hall on 25-26 October 2002. The Conference was held in conjunction with meetings of the Lake Eyre Basin Ministerial Forum, the Cooper Creek and Georgina-Diamantina Catchment Committees, the Lake Eyre Basin Community Advisory Committee and the Lake Eyre Basin Scientific Advisory Panel.

The themes of the Conference:

Water for Wildlife and Nature Conservation
Water for Society and Culture
Water for making a Living

Download the Proceedings of Conference 2002 as a PDF file

Lake Eyre Basin Aboriginal Forums

The Lake Eyre Basin Agreement requires the appropriate representation of Indigenous Interests in the development and implementation of policies and strategies for the Basin.

LEB Aboriginal Forum Mount Serle August 2006

The second LEB Aboriginal Forum will be held at Mount Serle in the northern Flinders Ranges, South Australia, on 22-24 August 2006. The purpose of the forum will be:

To strengthen links with Aboriginal people and groups in the Lake Eyre Basin, exchange knowledge and discuss priorities for water and related land issues, and develop collaborations of mutual benefit in implementing the Lake Eyre Basin Agreement.

Download the Second Lake Eyre Basin Aboriginal Forum as a PDF file

For more information on the 2006 Aboriginal Forum, please contact the CAC Facilitator

LEB Aboriginal Forum Hamilton Downs October 2004

The first LEB Aboriginal Forum was held at Hamilton Downs Youth Camp near Alice Springs, NT, on 25th and 26th October 2004, immediately before the second LEB biennial Conference.

Approximately 30 people attended the Forum, from Alpurrurulam, Hamilton Downs, Alice Springs and Hermansberg in the NT, Coober Pedy, Marree, Port Augusta and Adelaide in SA, Longreach, Barcaldine and Eulo in Queensland, and Canberra.

The objectives of the forum were to:

build relationships among Aboriginal people from different parts of the Basin
talk about Aboriginal visions for natural resources in the Basin
introduce and discuss the Lake Eyre Basin Agreement
discuss Aboriginal involvement in the LEB Agreement.

Five main issues emerged from the forum:

partnership, governance and communication
Aboriginal membership on the LEB CAC
Aboriginal cultural awareness for non-Aboriginal people
The need for a social and community profile of Aboriginal people in the Basin
The importance of educating children and passing on knowledge.

The next LEB Aboriginal Forum will be held in late 2006 in South Australia.