Debriefing Session: Insights from Community Consultation Workshops on Migration, Refugee Experiences and Social Cohesion

Join this debriefing session to hear key insights and reflections emerging from two community consultation workshops, Migration, Refugee Experiences and Social Cohesion, facilitated by Dr Valentina Baú.

The session will synthesise learnings from:

Workshop 1: Facilitated Discussion on Migration, Refugee Experiences and Social Cohesion

A values led discussion that centred lived experiences and community perspectives on inclusion, belonging, and participation.

Workshop 2: Policy Co design – Developing Recommendations for Social Cohesion

A collaborative workshop focused on translating community insights into practical, community-informed policy directions.

This debriefing session will highlight key themes, tensions, and opportunities identified across both workshops and outline how these insights can inform future policy and practice.

Date: May 21 from 3:30pm to 4pm
Registration: link

CO2 Concrete

Abstract: CO₂ Concrete transforms construction and demolition waste into high‑performance, low‑carbon concrete. By injecting carbon dioxide into recycled aggregates prior to mixing, the process triggers mineral carbonation that strengthens the aggregate and improves bonding with cement. Independent testing shows CO₂ Concrete achieves mechanical and durability performance comparable to conventional concrete made with virgin materials—while permanently storing CO₂. Scalable and practical, CO₂ Concrete supports low‑carbon construction and wider reuse of recycled materials.

Distinguished Professor Vivian W. Y. Tam FTSE

Distinguished Professor Vivian W. Y. Tam FTSE is a world‑leading researcher in construction engineering and management, internationally recognised for advancing green buildings and recycled concrete solutions to address climate change. She is Director of the ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Digital Platforms for Net Zero Building Ecosystem Lifecycle (NØBEL) at Western Sydney University.

Professor Tam has published over 330 refereed journal articles, with more than 42,000 citations and an h‑index above 108. She has led nine ARC‑funded projects and serves as Editor‑in‑Chief of the International Journal of Construction Management. Her accolades include the 2025 NSW Premier’s Prize for Excellence in Engineering or ICT and recognition among the world’s Top 2% of scientists since 2017.

Panel Member: Saji Srivelan

Saji Srivelan is Sustainability Manager for the Parramatta Light Rail Stage 2 – Enabling Works Project, Transport for NSW’s first Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) v2.1 project. She is a chemical engineering and pharmaceutical science graduate with extensive experience delivering sustainability outcomes on major infrastructure projects across NSW and Victoria.

Her portfolio includes the Melbourne Metro Tunnel Project, Level Crossing Removal Projects, and the Upper South Creek Advanced Water Recycling Centre and Pipelines—John Holland’s first IS v2.1 project.

From: 3:00pm Monday, July 13, 2026
To: 3:00pm Monday, July 13, 2026
Registration: link

Sunburnt country: managing Australian landscapes for production, climate and nature goals

Abstract: Climate and land-use change are exerting ever-increasing pressure on our rural, urban and protected landscapes. Across Australia, species, habitats, carbon, water and nutrient resources are strained by human impacts leading to lost productivity, disruption of ecosystem services, and increasing rates of extinction. Far from being solely an environmentalist’s concern, the steady loss of this ‘natural capital’ undermines agriculture, recreation and tourism, and other land-dependent activities on which our society and economy rely. Strategic landscape management offers the potential for synergistic outcomes that combine sustained land productivity with positive contributions to decarbonisation, nature repair and a reversal of natural capital loss. New legislation and emerging policy instruments, such as the Nature Repair Act, reforms to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act and the NSW Nature Strategy, are setting the scene for meaningful change. Realising their potential to reverse the trajectory of landscape degradation and biodiversity decline will depend on collaborating broadly across disciplines. To design successful strategies, we need to harness our best understanding of the soil, vegetation and landscape processes that govern our land ecosystems and their trajectory under evolving climate and land use. Three short talks will highlight with examples the capability science can bring to the strategic management of our landscapes at the nexus of food, energy, climate action and nature repair.

Prof Ben Smith

Director of Research, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment

Ben is an ecologist and ecosystem modeller interested in the structural and functional dynamics of the world’s major ecosystem types, or biomes. He has led the development of widely-used tools for exploring the interactions of vegetation and ecosystems with climate change, rising CO2 concentrations and land use. As Director of Research for Western Sydney University’s Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, he oversees a diverse program of research and engagement around the sustainable management of ecosystems and land-based natural resources.

Prof Rachael Gallagher

Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment

ARC Future Fellow

Sustainable Futures Global Challenge Program Lead

Rachael is a plant ecologist and conservation scientist working to ensure that plants are protected and recognised for their vital contribution to society. She runs a research program investigating plant diversity and adaptation, including experimental and field studies of plant responses to key threatening processes such as climate change. Rachael’s research draws on national and international initiatives on plant traits and ranges, several of which she contributes to directly as co-curator of the national AusTraits database. Rachael is a member of the Commonwealth of Australia’s Threatened Species Scientific Committee and an Australian Research Council Future Fellow.

Prof Uffe Nielsen

Theme Lead, Soil Biology & Genomics,

Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment

Network Lead, Land & Primary Industries Network, NSW Decarbonisation Innovation Hub

Uffe is a soil and ecosystem ecologist who conducts research in pristine and managed ecosystems to address fundamental questions, with a strong focus on management of our natural resources. Uffe’s overarching goal is to use this knowledge to better manage Earth's ecosystems to protect and preserve biodiversity, whilst also developing and implementing evidence-based sustainable land use management practices. Uffe’s research increasingly focus on biodiversity and carbon co-benefits given scope for synergistic outcomes in a time where decarbonisation is critical. Uffe is the Theme Lead for Soil Biology & Genomics with the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment (WSU) and the Lead for the Land and Primary Industries Network with the NSW Decarbonisation Innovation Hub.

From: 12:00pm Wednesday, July 29, 2026
To: 1:00pm Wednesday, July 29, 2026
Registration: link