2021 EPA Board Summit
The 2021 EPA Board Summit was held on Wednesday 21 April 2021. The theme was Climate Change: Risks, Liabilities and Remedies.
The online event, co-hosted with the Premier’s Climate Change Council and in collaboration with AiGroup, was held over 2 sessions.
Session 1 focused on providing an overview of risks, liabilities and remedies for small to medium businesses.
Session 2 showcased adaptation in action via two case studies from AGL and City of Adelaide. The Hon. David Speirs MP, Minister for Environment and Water also addressed Summit attendees.
A summary report and recordings of key presentations are provided below along with a copy of the corresponding slide decks. A transcript is also available for Session 1 Q&A.
Resources
Minister’s Address: Hon. David Speirs MP
Closing Remarks, EPA Chief Executive, Tony Circelli
Session 1 – Climate risk, liabilities and data – recordings and event materials |
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Agenda item | Speaker | Overview | Links |
Keynote Climate change as a financial and liability risk and opportunities for small to medium businesses | Sarah Barker, Head of Climate Risk Governance, Minter Ellison |
Find out more about climate change in the global context and what it might mean for your business. | Video presentation | PDF slides |
Climate risk and what it means for businesses | Tennant Reed, Principal National Adviser – Public Policy, Australian Industry Group |
The business perspective – find out more about risks facing businesses in Australia and what it might mean for your business. | Video presentation | PDF slides |
Climate change in SA – what does the data tell us? | Dr Graham Green, Principal Advisor Climate Change Science, Department for Environment and Water |
Find out more about what the climate change projections are for South Australia including in key regional areas. This presentation contains information about the physical impacts of a changing climate that businesses may need to plan for. | Video presentation | PDF slides |
Q&A | Martin Haese , Chair of the Premier’s Climate Change Council as Q&A host with Session 1 speakers |
Facilitated Q&A with Sarah Barker, Tennant Reed and Dr Graham Green. | Transcript |
Case study 1: AGL |
Elizabeth Molyneux , General Manager Energy Market Regulation, AGL | Find out more about how AGL is adapting to climate change. Listen to hear about approaches or ideas from AGL that may be adaptable to your business. | Video presentation | PDF slides |
Case study 2: City of Adelaide |
Michelle English, Associate Director, Park Lands, Policy and Sustainability, City of Adelaide |
Find out more about how City of Adelaide is adapting to climate change. Listen for approaches or ideas from City of Adelaide that may be adaptable to your business | Video presentation | PDF slides |
Q&A | Martin Haese, Chair of the Premier’s Climate Change Council as Q&A host with Session 2 speakers |
Facilitated Q&A with Elizabeth Molyneux and Michelle English | Recording of Q&A |
Role of the Board Summit in the EPA engagement pathway
The EPA Board Summit will no longer be required to be delivered annually, following an amendment to section 19 of the Environment Protection Act 1993 (EP Act) that removes this requirement. The EPA Board will now use its discretion as to when summits will be held.
The amendment to section 19 of the EP Act is part of the Statutes Amendment (COVID-19 Permanent Measures) Act 2021 and was passed by Parliament in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The amendment has been made in response to the uncertainty as to whether the EPA can undertake face-to-face conferences due to the social distancing requirements in response to COVID-19. The need for a summit will now be based on a particular need and suitability in light of any social distancing requirements, and considered alongside the EPA’s broader policy and engagement objectives and activities, rather than be a mandated annual requirement.
The EPA has significantly developed its engagement capability with tailored interface and engagement processes, networks and relationships with industry, other government and community stakeholders depending on the audience and issue at hand. This capacity allows the EPA to be both proactive and responsive depending on the need. The summit will continue to be used as a pathway for engagement when required, as a component of the EPA’s overarching engagement strategy.