Associates

Professor Geoff Cockfield

Deputy Dean, Faculty of Business, University of Southern Queensland, Founding Member of SEGRA

Professor Geoff Cockfield has a long involvement in rural industry and with regional economic development issues. He has written on agricultural and rural industry restructuring issues, natural resources management and presented many papers on regional development.

Geoff’s most recent published work is, 2003, ‘Reporting the drought: A study of news cycles’, Australian Journalism Review, 25 (1), pp. 171-186, and his most recent research projects, conducted with other researchers, include 2003, A Pilot Study of Methods to Assess the ‘Vital Signs’ of Rural Communities and 2002, Pittsworth Shire Council and Department of Transport and Regional Services, Development in the Pittsworth Shire.

Geoff’s particular research interests include rural policy, agri-environment policy and land use change.

Rod Hillman

Principal, Rod Hillman & Associates

Rod Hillman is a sustainable and ecotourism professional with extensive experience in operational and policy roles in Government, Private and NFP sectors. He focusses on assisting projects to be successful in delivering unique ecotourism experiences, tourism certification and designing effective policy outcomes in Public-Private partnerships.

He was Ecotourism Australia’s Chief Executive for close to ten years designing and introducing the ECO Destination program, securing, and managing the bushfire recovery partnership with WWF (Australia), developed a consultancy side to the business (in South Pacific), doubling the membership and overseeing the organisation’s growth to sustainability. In this role he was the voice of ecotourism in Australia and represented the industry Nationally and Internationally.

He has a long-standing relationship within the South Pacific where he has had held permanent roles and undertaken consultancies including:

Chief Executive Kokoda Track Authority (PNG) Vanuatu – Design and introduction of tourism standards and certification Solomon Islands – Community based tourism business planning and Destination planning He has managed high visitation National Parks in Western Australia and the ACT bringing the industry and protected area managers together to achieve the conservation and community objectives of the Parks whilst ensuring the tour operators could create a viable and sustainable business. He was also the founding Chair of the ‘Tourism in Australia’s Protected Areas Forum’ (TAPAF) that bought together the Managers of Australia’s Protected Area Agencies and tourism to develop practical solutions and a national approach.

This experience is balanced by decades spent as a tour leader and tour business manager in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, a Safari company owner in Kenya and headed the tours business from Kingfisher Bay Resort – Fraser Island.

Robert Prestipino

Director, Vital Places Pty Ltd

Robert specialises in helping regional communities identify local growth strategies and catalyst projects that support regional sustainability and local lifestyle. For more than 25 years, Robert has worked with government, community and local business stakeholders to develop innovative solutions and deliver more with less to ensure regional communities secure a vibrant future. He is a qualified Urban Designer, Registered Landscape Architect, Corporate Member of the Planning Institute of Australia, Member of Economic Development Australia, an Australian Certified Economic Developer and Local Ecommerce Marketer.

Stephen Taylor

Managing Director, Tourism Potential

Stephen Taylor, Managing Director of Tourism Potential, has over twenty years experience in feasibility studies, tourism industry operations and consulting to the private and public sector in Australia and the United States. His hands-on experience in developing and operating theme attractions and consulting to the wider industry covers business planning, economic impact assessment, strategy development, feasibility studies, operations reviews and market research. Prior to establishing Tourism Potential in 1994, Stephen was General Manager of a national tourism research and consulting organisation for several years. He has also served on the advisory boards of several national tourism research organisations.

Stephen’s major skills and areas of expertise include:

• Feasibility studies and financial analysis
• Strategy development and planning
• Industry analysis
• Market research
• Theme attraction development & operation

Associate Professor Peter Waterman RFD

Adjunct Associate Professor in Environmental Science, University of the Sunshine Coast

Peter Waterman is an environmental planner with over 37 years professional experience working for governmental and private sector clients. Professional work has encompassed:

• strategic and statutory planning;
• intergovernmental relations;
• environmental research (physical, biological, social, economic and cultural); public and environmental health, and;
• natural resource and environmental management

Peter’s formal professional qualifications are in geography, social science, urban planning and environmental management.

Commencing work as an environmental planning consultant in 1970, Peter has carried out a large number of land use planning and environmental impact and risk assessments in all Australian States and Territories as well as overseas. Through this work Peter has become an acknowledged leader in developing integrated and holistic approaches to the environmental management of natural systems, industrial facilities and built infrastructure with a geographic focus on the coastal zone.