Anita Roper, CEO, Sustainability Victoria

Sustainability Victoria is brainstorming simple and smart ways to reduce the State’s environmental impact, one person at a time.

Sustainability Victoria is an agency of the Victorian Government that facilitates and promotes the sustainable use of resources. Its vision is for Victorians to use resources sustainably so as to support a thriving community and economy. It acts as a catalyst for sustainable growth and development in Victoria, bringing together the knowledge and capabilities of people, organisations and communities to deliver integrated social, economic and environmental outcomes.

The agency implements Victorian Government policy by working together with business, government and the community to deliver tangible outcomes in the areas of carbon pollution reduction and the smarter use of resources – specifically energy, materials and water.

Sustainability Victoria is making it easier for Victorians to make sustainable choices, providing rebates for solar hot water, photovoltaics and insulation. It’s delivering the right advice to consumers about energy efficient appliances, with the help of over 300 retailers.

Changing for climate change

The agency is helping low-income Victorians adapt to climate change by off ering free retrofi ts, improving the energy effi ciency and comfort of their homes. Delivered in partnership with agencies such as the Brotherhood of St Lawrence and Mission Australia, the Energy and Water Task Force provides employment opportunities for the long-term unemployed and will help shape the development of a new industry for home sustainability assessors.

Victorian businesses are encouraged to become ResourceSmart with the help of the Sustainability Fund and the Premier’s Sustainability Awards. Sustainability Victoria is partnering with key industry groups, commercial building owners and tenants to help drive change across all business sectors.

Zero Waste

Sustainability Victoria is also helping local governments, industry and communities move towards zero waste through public place recycling and infrastructure grants as well as supporting best practice in kerbside recycling.

Established under the Sustainability Victoria Act 2005, the agency is a statutory authority with a nine member Board reporting to the Minister for Environment and Climate Change.

During the next five years, it will work closely with its stakeholders in areas of priority for the Victorian economy, community and environment, particularly those where there is clear evidence of market gaps or failures, and where it can demonstrate that its actions will deliver benefi ts for Victorians.

Websites:
www.sustainability.vic.gov.au
www.resourcesmart.vic.gov.au

Meet, Invest or Work in Melbourne – Australia’s Capital City for Innovation

Voted many times over as one of the world’s most liveable cities, Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, is celebrated as Australia’s home to the arts, sport and events.

Victoria is also an innovation hub for world-leading science. Since 1999, the Victorian Government has invested more than AUD$3 billion into science, technology and innovation, resulting in sustained growth in the sector.

For investors, Melbourne presents an opportunity to take advantage of world-class facilities and infrastructure, and a highly skilled workforce which makes use of these facilities to deliver world-firsts in research and development.

For researchers, innovators and those working in the science, medicine and engineering sectors, Melbourne provides the perfect city in which to lead a rewarding lifestyle. It also provides an environment which nurtures research and development, and which has a strong history of breakthroughs on the innovation front.

A history of ground-breaking research

A combination of talent, facilities and investment has given rise to many Melbourne world-firsts.

These include the cochlear implant, which has provided hearing for thousands of people throughout the world, the first frozen embryo birth, the black box flight recorder, a cervical cancer vaccine and the atomic absorption spectrometer.

With a stated and proven commitment by the Victorian government to support innovation, research and development – since 1999, the Victorian Government has invested AUD$1.8 billion in innovation initiatives – and given that, in 2008, over 40 per cent of Australia’s national medical research grants were awarded to Victorian researchers, this is a proud tradition which is set to continue.

World Class Facilities

Melbourne has the largest concentration of medical research institutes in Australia, and several internationally acclaimed hospitals are located within one city precinct.

Melbourne is also home to the Southern Hemisphere’s only Synchrotron, which is transforming Australia’s scientific and industrial research capability. It is used across a broad range of sciences and industries, including micro and nano technology, environment, information and communications, forensics, and manufacturing. A recent milestone saw the Synchrotron celebrate its 1000th researcher to conduct experiments at the leading facility, developing a substitute for the lubricants in joint fluid.

Nurturing Leaders

Melbourne is home to many renowned scientists, including Dr David Hill, President of the International Union Against Cancer, Professor Peter Doherty, 1996 Nobel Laureate and Current President of the International Union of Immunological Societies, and Sir Gustav Nossal, one of Australia’s most celebrated medical scientists and humanitarians, recognised for his groundbreaking work in understanding the immune system.

In order to attract the world’s preeminent science, medical and business leaders to Melbourne, the Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau (MCVB) works with local luminaries within professional associations to bid for events. A major initiative includes the Club Melbourne Program.

Established by MCVB and the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Club Melbourne recognises the exceptional talents and achievements of more than 100 leaders in academia, science and business, and draws upon the knowledge, prestige and voice of these leaders to promote Victoria as a major conference and exhibition destination.

Collaborating in Melbourne for Conferences

Melbourne is the perfect place to collaborate and meet for conventions. Melbourne will soon be home to Australia’s newest and most versatile meeting, convention and event facility – the Melbourne Convention Centre. Leading the world on the environmental front – the Centre is the world’s first to be awarded a Six Star Green Star environmental rating – the Centre provides the perfect environment for the sharing of ideas and research.

Working with local associations, MCVB has secured in excess of 47 major international association conferences for the new Centre, with an estimated economic impact of more than AUD$500m.

Become involved

If you would like to learn more about securing a national or international meeting for Melbourne, or about the support offered by the Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau, contact Ms Kerry Hayes, Director of Business Development, on telephone +61 3 9693 3312, or via email: kerry.hayes@mcvb.com.au. Visit the MCVB website for further information: www.mcvb.com.au

Melbourne attracts major international events

• World Congress in Internal Medicine 2010 (WCIM) – 4,000 delegates
• International Conference of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology –IUBMB – 2,000 delegates
• 5th International Congress of the Asia Pacific Society of Infection Control (APSIC) – 1,000 delegates
• General Meeting of the International Electrotechnical Commission –IEC – 1,000 delegates
• World Congress of the World Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases (WSPID) 2011 – 3,000 delegates
• Annual Meeting of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine – ISMRM 2012 – 4,000 delegates
• Congress of the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing – ISPRS – 2,500 delegates
• IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium –IGARSS – 1,000 delegates
• International Congress of Pediatrics (ICP) 2013 – 5,000 delegates
• 22nd World Diabetes Congress 2013 – 12,500 delegates