The EIANZ Board met on Tuesday at the Institute’s Central Office in Melbourne. It was a productive full-day meeting, which covered many topics.

A major outcome was approval of the final By-law for the Qualifications Accreditation Scheme. This is a major milestone that effectively marks the formal establishment of this important Institute program. The Board thanked all those who have been a part of the development of this scheme, which provides a mechanism for ensuring environment-related university courses meet appropriate proficiencies. In particular, the Board acknowledged the extensive efforts of Jon Womersley FEIANZ CEnvP in making the Qualifications Accreditation Scheme a reality.

Other key items and decisions were:

• A preliminary discussion on the budget for 2018-19 and membership fees.
• A discussion on the priority activities that the Board will focus on during 2018 – more information will be shared about this in coming weeks.
• Noting the excellent financial outcome for the 2017 Wellington conference, the progress on the 2018 Sydney conference and preliminary discussions about the 2019 conference.
• Commencing a discussion about engagement across the Institute on vision, values and purpose throughout 2018, to inform the preparation of the next corporate plan.
• Noting the advertisement for a part-time Professional Development officer, who would initially be focussed on rolling out EIANZ Steps.

Zena Helman, Chair of the Policy and Practice Committee, and Lachie Wilkinson, Chair of the Impact Assessment Special Interest Section, joined the meeting late in the day to discuss the opportunity to engage with the Labor Environment Action Network (LEAN) on their draft environmental policy platform. The Board was encouraged by the timely discussion of the future of Australia’s environmental legislative framework and while apolitical, the Institute will continue to actively contribute to environmental policy development with all political parties.

On Wednesday, the EIANZ Board and the Certification Board held a half-day meeting, also in Melbourne. This was a great opportunity for the two Boards to get together. A wide ranging-agenda focussed on the way the Boards work together, enhancing the collaborative approach to administration building on the success of the co-located staffing arrangements and improving the experience for all environmental practitioners. The Boards agreed on a series of activities that would contribute to excellence in environmental practice at all stages of someone’s career.

The EIANZ Board will next meet in mid-March via teleconference.