ACSC to strengthen ties with Condamine Alliance

The Australian Centre for Sustainable Catchments (ACSC) at USQ will strengthen ties with the Condamine Alliance at a special ceremony to be held at the University this Friday 1 June 2007.

At the ceremony, representatives from the Condamine Alliance will present the ACSC with a ceremonial boomerang, to signify the bond that exists between the two organisations.

'The ACSC and the Condamine Alliance have been in close partnership since the inception of the ACSC about 18 months ago,' Deputy Director of the ACSC Dr Jerry Maroulis said.

'It is a partnership that is good for both organisations; good for addressing common research interests; and ultimately good for the Condamine Catchment.'

As part of the agreement between the two organisations, a number of joint initiatives are currently underway.

'The ACSC has recently employed Tek Maraseni as a Research Fellow. This appointment was made possible through research funding from the Condamine Alliance, to enable him to work on projects of common interest to both groups,' Dr Maroulis said.

'In addition, the Condamine Alliance has recently approved a further $105,000 for research work for the Spatial Modelling group within the ACSC.

'Clearly there are many natural resource issues of concern to the Condamine Alliance. The ACSC is privileged to be in a position to provide answers to some of these research questions and we are very grateful for the financial support given to us which, to date, is upwards of $270,000.'

CEO of the Condamine Alliance Phil McCullough will attend the ceremony on Friday and highlighted the importance of the partnership.

'The value of working with our local university shouldn't be under-estimated,' Mr McCullough said.

'Partnering with USQ will allow local knowledge to be incorporated in the national and international thinking on natural resource management.

'This partnership will provide our community with access to learning facilities whilst giving something back to the catchment.'

The ceremony will be held at the ACSC at USQ, located on Baker Street Toowoomba from 10am.

Media are welcome to attend the event.

Media Contact: Josh Ada, USQ Media, +61 7 4631 1628