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THE FUTURE OF ASL

The Future of ASL Policy Document

History of this document

At the AGM held during the ASL Congress in Berri (September 1996) we accepted the following motion and proposed that we investigated the Future of ASL via the mechanism given below.

ASL forms a policy sub-group to investigate mechanisms (protocols) to

  • Raise the profile of ASL with governmental policy makers and advisory panels etc
  • Deal with external requests for the provision of advice on issues
  • Provide interactive fora to debate conservation issues within ASL
  • Release ASL policy statements on selected issues
  • Maintain the current strengths of ASL
  • And to present options to the Executive and the 1997 AGM.

The Executive asked members to contribute comments and ideas on the above. Five sub-groups were formed from Executive members and a list of voluntary contributors to address each of the individual points in the motion. The comments and ideas from these sub-groups formed the basis of a mailing on the ASL News Group and were further developed into the following document (hitherto referred to as the futures document).

In Albury (September 1997), the issues raised in this document were further discussed at the AGM and the following motions were passed:

  • the ASL president be empowered to make public statements on behalf of the society, and all such statements be made only after appropriate consultation with the society membership
  • the ASL supports the ideas and actions in the futures document and this AGM asks the incoming executive to advance these issues and processes as outlined in this document

Now that we have accepted these ideas and actions, we need to implement them. As a first step, a preliminary list of immediate tasks is presented at the end of the document. Please study this draft and accompanying list carefully and direct your comments to the electronic News Group or the quarterly Newsletter (refer to items specifically). If you have any concerns or ideas use this opportunity to have your say about the future of ASL.

The Document

1. RAISING THE PROFILE OF ASL WITH GOVERNMENTAL POLICY MAKERS AND ADVISORY PANELS ETC

ASL has not regularly provided expert advice to governmental policy decision makers nor nominated experts to governmental panels. If we want this to change we must raise our profile with government agencies. Past attempts to promote ASL as a forum for providing such input have not generally received a favourable response. It is proposed that a number of processes are adopted to promote ASL as a forum for expert scientific debate and advice within governmental agencies. Recent invitations to nominate independent experts to several bodies in Western Australia provides notable exceptions and demonstrates that ASL can fulfil this role.

1.1 The Executive establishes a “policy committee” that encourages and coordinates the release of appropriate statements on topical limnological issues through the various fora outlined below, with a particular emphasis of bringing this material to the notice of policy and managerial agencies at all levels of government.

1.2 Individual members within policy and managerial agencies are encouraged to promote ASL as a forum for debating limnological issues before, during and after the development of policies that affect aquatic research and management.

1.3 ASL seeks further means of cooperating with other scientific societies (such as Federation of Australian Scientific and Technology Societies, Institute of Biology) through, for example, joint conferences or special events that allow individuals to present credible scientific views on aquatic issues/policies.

1.4 Actively promote the list of ASL members who have volunteered to speak as experts on behalf of ASL, and consider a more appropriate name for the list.

2. DEALING WITH EXTERNAL REQUESTS FOR THE PROVISION OF ADVICE ON LIMNOLOGICAL ISSUES

It is accepted that ASL must maintain scientific credibility in the eyes of both its members and the broader community. Thus, we need to avoid sending a barrage of media releases on all issues that affect the conduct of research into and conservation of aquatic ecosystems. Steps that will assist ASL respond to such issues are given below.

2.1 The Executive be given total authority to develop a procedure to issue policies and/or statements that provide scientific comment on specific issues with ASL seen as the vehicle for debate rather than making pronouncements.

2.2 The list of ASL volunteers is revamped with a clear identification of the role of the list and means of promoting it within and without the Society.

2.3 ASL prepares a list of the Top Ten Limnological issues and actively promotes this and reviews it regularly.

2.4 The Executive actively seeks and supports a few governmental and non-governmental fora (such as the Biodiversity Council, Australian Wetlands Alliance) where it can focus its attention through nominated individuals.

2.5 The Executive creates a position for specifically collating responses for external comments and interaction.

2.6 The Executive is elected for a two year period in order to provide focal contacts for external interaction and to allow individuals time to familiarise themselves with the issues and procedures.

3. PROVIDING INTERACTIVE FORA TO DEBATE LIMNOLOGICAL ISSUES

A Limnological Discussion Forum in which issues can be informally debated should be developed and hosted by ASL on a regular and well publicised basis. The forum should allow for the discussion of limnological issues by both ASL members and others, but does not necessarily represent the views of the Society. This can be done through the written/electronic media already operated by the Society and by the hosting of a regular lecture/seminar.

Written/electronic media

3.1 There should be a written/electronic forum within ASL (eg Issues in Limnology section in the Newsletter and on the Home Page) where members or invited non-members can raise and debate issues.

3.2 These Issues Pages are not the stated position of the Society as a whole, but reflect the views of members or invited contributors (statement to this effect published with each Issue).

3.3 The Issues are not endorsed by the President or Executive (this would also be stated clearly with each Issue).

3.4 The member(s) raising the Issue must act as the spokesperson and include their name, address and contact numbers (and email) before the Issue will be ‘published’.

Lecture/Seminar

3.5 There should be a regular verbal lecture/seminar forum within ASL where members and invited non-members can raise and debate issues.

3.6 The lecture/seminar is not the stated position of the Society as a whole, but reflects the views of the speakers (statement to this effect made at the commencement of each presentation and with any advertising material).

3.7 The Issues are not endorsed by the President or Executive (this would also be stated clearly at the commencement of each presentation and with any advertising material).

3.8 The member(s) speaking on the Issue must include their name, address and contact numbers (including email) before the Issue can be presented

3.9 The Executive may decide to formally publish the material presented (this would be made clear prior to the presentation).

4. RELEASING POLICY STATEMENTS ON SELECTED ISSUES

There are two modes by which ASL could release information to the public: i) Policy Documents and ii) Issue Statements. The procedures for releasing information once it is formulated also need to be addressed at an early stage during the process of formulating a Policy or Statement.

Policy documents and issue statements

Policy Documents

4.1 ASL should produce Policy Documents (eg Wetlands Policy Document) on specific aquatic issues. These would outline the general position of ASL, as represented by a specifically formed sub-group, but would tend to be fairly broad in nature and non-binding on members. ASL would act as the vehicle for distributing informed comment on specific issues under the guidance of the Executive and the AGM.

4.2 Policy documents could be produced for:

Wetlands (already done)

Arid Rivers (in prep.)

Urban Streams

Flow Regulation, etc.

4.3 The Society President and Executive would endorse these documents and ASL would fund the printing of a number of copies to be distributed to a selected audience.

4.4 Policy Documents would be placed on the Home Page and also published in the Newsletter and News Group.

4.5 The Society President and Executive would nominate someone to be the spokesperson for each document (probably the person who was integral in putting the document together).

Issue Statements

At various times ASL will be requested to make statements or it may wish to state the ASL position about specific issues (eg cotton irrigation proposals, environmental flows). This requires a mechanism for the prompt release of ASL endorsed statements suitable for release to the media.

4.6 The material may be put together by any ASL member (with proven relevant expertise) and submitted to the Executive for endorsement.

4.7 Endorsed statements would require the signature of at least five (5) members of the ASL Executive which currently comprises 14 members (5 executive officers, 8 regional members and the editor) and acknowledgment by the President.

4.8 The person who was primarily responsible for collating or preparing the material for the statement would act as the principal media contact - the Executive should also act as regional contacts.

4.9 Release of a statement would be through national and regional media - it is the responsibility of each ASL Executive member to ensure the material is disseminated in their State/Territory under guidelines for media dissemination.

The release of policy and statements

If the release of ASL policy or statements are to “have an impact”, ASL will need to become more aware of the media and its requirements for successful publication. A set of procedures (guidelines) should be developed to facilitate the dissemination of ASL information. These should address the following:

4.10 Immediacy of action to ensure a comment on a particular issue gets to the media whilst it is still a hot topic through, for example faxstream addresses of media outlets (on a state/territory basis) being held by the Executive.

4.11 Readily access to media contacts for regional comment with the Executive as the initial, but not only, referral point for each State/Territory.

4.12 Insertion of a standard piece about the ASL (eg its membership, charter, etc)

4.13 Storage of material for immediate release, such as short pieces on recurrent themes of sustainable development of aquatic resources, and the inadequate funding for limnological research.

4.14 Availability of visual material for television, such as standard shots of wetlands, rivers, lakes, land degradation, etc.

4.15 Targeting different forms of media and to time the releases for maximum exposure

5. MAINTAINING THE CURRENT STRENGTHS OF ASL

Open recognition of the values and strengths of ASL is needed and should be constantly reassessed to ensure that relevance and service to members is maintained and/or updated. Some of the current strengths are presented below. It is noted that these strengths can only be maintained by active involvement of sufficient numbers of members.

5.1` ASL has a casual and relaxed manner that is open to all and friendly to newcomers, not daunting to students and is not enmeshed in formal procedures.

5.2 The Society has a strong student base and actively encourages student attendance at and participation in its informal annual congress.

5.3 ASL is essentially a scientific society that encourages debate and presentation of research materials and has no delusions of being a professional society or a political lobby group.

6. What needs to be done?

6.1 define ‘appropriate consultation’ in the first motion passed in Albury and develop guidelines by which the Executive can appropriately consult the membership before releasing statements.

6.2 decide upon a name for our list of volunteered experts, the role required of them and ways in which the list can be promoted

6.3 establishment of a ‘policy committee’ see 1.1

6.4 prepare a list of the Top Ten Limnological Issues which will be actively promoted (outside of the society) and reviewed (perhaps at annual AGMs)

6.5 raise issues for debate on the NewsGroup and in the Newsletter and consider other issues that may require ASL to release a specific policy statement

6.6 produce policy documents on issues already highlighted e.g. Urban Streams and Flow Regulation (any volunteers??)

6.7 help your Executive member to compile a list of national and regional media contacts e.g. faxstream numbers

6.8 develop a strategy for releasing media statements effectively

6.9 add to the list of the strengths of ASL