History
Evolution of the Conference
Queensland Coastal Conference started in 2007, and since then, it has been held every two years. The event is hosted in different coastal communities in Queensland with different host organisations in charge of each event. The Burnett Mary Regional Group hosted the first in 2007 in Bundaberg while the 2015 event was hosted by Reef Range and Red Dust in Caloundra.
Queensland Coastal Conference 2007
This was the premier conference and was hosted at the Civic Centre & Anglican Church.
Bundaberg, Australia by the Burnett Mary Regional Group. It was held between 17 – 19 September of that year, and the theme for the conference was Shifting Sands.
Keynote Speakers
There were keynote speakers for the event, and they all spoke on a variety of issues revolving around coastal management in Queensland.
Cr Mike Berwick – the first speaker who is from the Douglas Shire Council, spoke on The future of coastal management for Queensland. The speech revolved around the fact that the environmental and scenic values of Queensland coastal communities currently face serious threat due to the unplanned overdevelopment and how this can be curtailed.
Mr Lindsay Delzpopo – the speaker from the environmental protection agency, spoke on The Importance of Coastal Management for Queensland and the State Government’s Role.
Professor Bruce Thom – the speaker from the Australian Coastal Society, spoke on Lessons from the NSW Coast.
Mr Neil Lazarow – the speaker who is a Research Fellow from Griffith Centre for Coastal Management, Griffith University, Gold Coast, spoke on Key governance issues for coastal management in Australia (Lessons for QLD).
Queensland Coastal Conference 2009
The second conference was held in Gold Coast from 13 – 15 May with the theme Waves of Change. It was an opportunity to better understand the evolution in the planning and management of the Queensland coast while also learning about new developments and discussing the on-ground, practical coastal management as well as the programs and policies that guide coastal zone management in Queensland.
Keynote Speakers
Mike Berwick who was the Mayor of Douglas Shire before it was amalgamated with the Cairns City Council in 2008.
Napcia Bin Tahal who was the Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) Member for Horn and Prince of Wales Islands
Professor Will Steffen who was the Executive Director of the Australian National University (ANU) Climate Change Institute
Professor Bruce Thom, who is a renowned academic with years of experience in coastal management and related issues.
Queensland Coastal Conference 2011
This was held between 19 – 21 of that year in Cairns with the theme of Ancient Knowledge, Contemporary Information.
Queensland Coastal Conference 2013
The fourth conference was held between 2 – 4 October of the year in Townsville with the Theme Castle in the Sand. It explored the planning and management of a very dynamic and highly valued natural resource.
Since then, the event has held in 2015, 2017, and 2019 with the 2015 holiday in Caloundra while 2017 held in Lure Abell Point Marina, Airlie Beach.