Project governance

Project Advisory Group:

The project is directed by an Advisory Group, composed of a broader range of community representatives than the Steering Committee alone.

The Advisory Group provides advice to the researchers on the topics and issues the study should examine, and comments on methods and early results of the study. The group has already worked with the researchers to prioritise the topics to be examined in the study, particularly the types of land use change and socio-economic impacts to be studied. They have also provided comments on draft surveys. In coming months, they will be asked to review and comment on draft reports, and to help identify appropriate forums in which results can be disseminated.

The Advisory Group will meet face-to-face at least six times during the project, as well as providing advice between meetings via email and phone. Additional Advisory Group meetings will be scheduled as considered necessary by members of the group.

Currently, the Advisory Group includes the following members:

• Barbara Botterill (near Digby, Victoria) manages a beef, wool and prime lamb enterprise with her husband Geoff. Her main off-farm interests are in education and the community.
• Chris Brodie (Coonawarra, South Australia) is a viticulturist for Katnook Estate in Coonawarra and Deakin Estate in Sunraysia and has interests in environment, land use sustainability, and tourism.
• David Clark (Waubra, Victoria) operates a mixed farm including cattle, cropping and forestry, and is project manager for Lexton Landcare Group.
• Simon Cox (Penola, South Australia) is a forensic consultant to the insurance industry and legal profession, specialising in the investigation of fires, explosions and materials failures. Until recently he was Deputy Mayor of Wattle Range Council. He and his wife own and manage 600 acres of blue gum plantations at Penola and Degholm, a number of commercial properties and a residential development.
• David Fisken (Lal Lal, Victoria) is Executive Officer of Central Victorian Farm Plantations Inc and has a long association with agriculture, natural resource management, local government and other agribusiness.
• Shirley Harlock (Warrnambool, Victoria) is a dairy farmer who is vitally concerned with land use and its impact on agricultural and urban communities.
• John Kellas (Mt Gambier, South Australia) is Executive Officer of the Green Triangle Regional Plantation Committee and has contributed to a number of programmes including wood flow and infrastructure planning, education and training, and developing programmes for monitoring biodiversity within the plantation estate.
• Grant King (Mt Gambier, South Australia) is Chief Executive Officer of the Limestone Coastal Regional Development Board and Executive Officer of Regional Development South Australia, the peak body for South Australia's regional development boards. He has been involved in regional development for in excess of 13 years, following a long history associated with the earthmoving and civil construction industries.
• Diana Lloyd (Wandilo, South Australia) facilitated the 2000 south-west land use change study, and is involved in forestry, environmental management systems, industry development and education.
• Jock McFarlane (Naracoorte, South Australia) is a senior consultant for Rural Solutions South Australia and has been involved with natural resource management for a number of years. With his wife he runs a 210 hectare sheep and cut flower growing property at Wrattonbully.
• Tom Munro (Grassdale, Victoria) is a Glenelg Shire councillor and farmer combining self-replacing prime lamb and beef cattle breeding with an interest in agroforestry and sustainable agriculture.
• Laurie Norman (Learmonth, Victoria) is Executive Officer of the Central Highlands Agribusiness Forum, which works with farmers and agribusiness across the Central Highlands and south west Victoria on projects to improve efficiency and farm viability.
• John and Naomi Pye (Bessiebelle, Victoria) have a third generation family owned and operated dairy farm.
• Lawrence Richmond (Evansford, Victoria) is Director of Rural Property Management Pty Ltd, which is a large-scale grain and merino sheep enterprise centred at Evansford in Victoria and Wakool in New South Wales. He has interests in Landcare, community and farming organisations, and motor sport.
  

Project Steering Committee:

The Project Steering Committee approves progress of the research and includes at least one representative from each organisation providing funding to the project (except where an organisation declines to provide a representative) and at least one representative from each of the research partners. The Project Steering Committee includes more than one representative each from the Department of Primary Industries Victoria  and Green Triangle Regional Plantation Committee as they are the primary funders of the project.

The Project Steering Committee is responsible for approving completion of project milestones, approving and implementing a project communications strategy, and approving any proposed variations to the project.

The Project Steering Committee will meet at least six times during the project. Additional Project Steering Committee meetings will be scheduled as considered necessary by members of the Committee.

The Project Steering Committee is chaired by Cr Karen Stephens, who represents the Glenelg Shire Council. Funding and/or research organisation(s) represented by each person are given after that person's name:

Research team:

1) The proposed study methodology was peer reviewed in February-March 2007. Three peer reviewers were selected by the Project Steering Committee and were given the option of remaining anonymous to ensure they could comment critically on the project methods.  All three reviewers endorsed the proposed methods and provided useful advice to the researchers. To find out more, please see the Project Methods page.

2) When draft results have been produced from the project (expected to be in early 2008, depending upon the timing of release of data from the 2006 Census of Population and Housing and Agricultural Census). Again, reviewers will be asked to critically review the project process, including methodology, data collection and data analysis.

Independent peer reviewers will be chosen from the international community of social scientists with expertise in the methodologies being used by the researchers. It is expected that at least one international expert will be invited to peer review the project, as well as experts based within Australia.