John Thwaites, Professorial Fellow, Monash University and Chair of the Monash Sustainability Institute

John Thwaites is a Professorial Fellow, Monash University, and Chair of the Monash Sustainability Institute. He is a consultant at Maddocks Solicitors providing advice to the firm and its clients on climate change, water, sustainability and corporate social responsibility. He also chairs the Climate Group Ltd in Australia and the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Australia’s only cultural centre dedicated to film, TV, games and the moving image. He is also a director of the Australian Green Building Council.

John is currently working with the Brotherhood of St Laurence to develop policies to assist low-income Australians cope with the impact of climate change and is chairing a joint Brotherhood of St Laurence/KPMG Report on a national energy efficiency program for low income households. John is a special adviser to the Timor-Leste Minister for Infrastructure and is working on an AusAid program to develop an Infrastructure plan for Timor-Leste. He was an invited participant at the Australia2020 Summit and the Victorian Climate Change Summit and has led workshops with local government in Victoria on climate change and sustainability.

John Thwaites was Deputy Premier of Victoria from 1999 until his retirement in 2007. During this period he was Minister for Health, Minister for Planning, Minister for Environment, Minister for Water, Minister for Victorian Communities and Victoria’s first Minister for Climate Change. In these portfolios he was responsible for major reforms in social policy, health, environment and water.

Some of the key initiatives led by John Thwaites were:

Reform of water policy and legislation in Victoria including giving the environment a legislative right to water for the first time, major infrastructure upgrades (eg Wimmera Mallee Pipeline, Bendigo and Ballarat ‘Superpipe)) and Australia’s most successful water conservation program;

Action on climate change including a mandatory renewable energy target (VRET), 5-star energy and water efficiency standards for all new homes, mandatory energy audits for major industry, establishment of National Emissions Trading Taskforce and an energy efficiency target scheme for households (VEET);

Major expansion and improvement of Victoria’s National Park system including the Great Otway National Park and ending cattle grazing in the Alpine National Park;

Leading the government’s social policy A Fairer Victoria to reduce disadvantage with major initiatives in early childhood support, neighbourhood renewal, family support, housing, mental health and community building;

Major hospital building program (Austin, Royal Womens’, Casey etc) and reforming hospital funding to provide significant growth funds for prevention and rehabilitation;

Introducing a new residential planning framework for Victoria and instigating Melbourne 2030.

John Thwaites was a Member of the Victorian Parliament from 1992 to 2007, and was a barrister prior to entering Parliament. He has degrees in Law (Honours) and Science from Monash University.