G’day Regulators
The year of 2024 is coming to a close and what a tremendous year it’s been for all of us and a year of significant growth for the AELERT network! Grab a cuppa and revisit this years’ network highlights.
This year we renewed our commitment to delivering on our promise to help regulators collaborate across agencies, jurisdictions and even nations; innovate to tackle shared challenges; and grow our collective capabilities.
We’ve updated our 2023-2025 Strategic Plan with renewed deliverables, forged new and enhanced partnerships with domestic and international regulatory networks, delivered a global summit and maintained 18 Communities of Practice for you to engage with you peers.
Creating opportunities at the AELERT-INECE Global Summit
We witnessed 390 delegates from 23 countries across seven continents come together and share their insights across three days creating opportunities across the network next year and into the future.
The Summit’s event theme ‘We are better together’ reminds us that together we are stronger and more resilient like that of the trunk of the majesty Moreton Bay fig tree. While there are tough times to navigate ahead, the talent of our regulatory family is so great that no challenge is beyond us and the people and environment we serve will look to us to take the lead toward a better world and more sustainable future.
20 International representatives from 11 networks and organisations across the globe participated in shaping and delivering this event and we are fortunate to count them all now as partners in future collaboration!
The Summit brought together regulatory academics and practitioners at all levels representing all regulatory functions and over 20 regulatory subjects – both environmental and non-environmental – to enhance our shared regulatory capabilities and make us stronger.
Access the recordings and presentations from over 110 speakers
Building strategic connections and new partnerships
One of AELERTs continuing strategic priorities is to build and maintain working relationships with key domestic and international partners to benefit all AELERT members. In addition to our new international partners, this year we landed MOU’s with:
- National Environmental Law Association (NELA)
- National Regulators Community of Practice (NRCoP)
Plus laying the foundations for partnership with:
- Environment Institute of Australia And New Zealand (EIANZ)
- Australian Institute of Professional Intelligence Officers (AIPIO)
Collaboration in Communities of Practice
Your Communities of Practice are the heart and soul of the AELERT network and over 1,223 of you have joined AELERT’s 18 network groups – and they are firing!
This year we added the new Compliance Auditing CoP chaired by Senior Regulatory Auditor Tatjana Nedelkoska at Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
On the horizon we are also working on launching three more groups to enhance and link shared interests from inside and outside the network, including a jointly hosted group addressing climate change – a clear outcome from the AELERT-INECE Summit.
New CoPs coming in 2025:
- Restorative Justice
- International Climate Change
- Regulatory Research & Practice
Work programs, new and enhanced products
The great ideas that come from your discussions in the CoPs are elevated and resourced by AELERT’s three working groups to produce tangible, practical products to benefit all member agencies and regulatory practitioners in the network. The innovation that follows your fantastic collaboration.
This year, we listened to your ideas and your needs, and we were able to launch enhancements to our flagship products (MRIT, Regulatory Officer Capability Framework, and self-assessment tool), more how-to guides, plus several more toolkits and projects are in the pipeline as a result of recent member workshops and events.
New and enhanced agency and practitioner products:
- Modern Regulator Improvement Tool (MRIT) – customisation for the water sector & additional user guides
- Regulatory Officer Capability Self-Assessment Tool (ROCSAT) – added group reporting module and custom survey capability
- Interagency Twinning Program – approx. 12 agency matches with more to come in the new year
- Regulatory Priorities Best Practice Guide
Upcoming products:
- MRIT refresh (currently underway)
- Outcomes Performance Measuring Guide – plus practical workshops
- Regulatory Capture Toolkits – building on the outcomes of recent workshops
- Regulator Job Swap Program
- Formal Practitioner Mentoring Program
AELERT Events, webinars and workshops
AELERT is a network not just a community of practice, we don’t work in isolation and lean into our shared interests. This year has been no exception!
An example of this are the in-person workshops and joint webinars born of common needs and challenges that have allowed us to share our learnings and put the wheels in motion to develop tools for all members to grow our collective capabilities in a variety of areas.
In-person events (workshops):
- Risk communications & outrage management – Darwin
- Regulatory capture workshops – Hobart/Launceston
- 2024-25 AELERT Regulator gatherings (NT/TAS completed)
Online workshops and webinars:
- Invertebrate conservation and the case of the Green Carpenter Bee with Dr Alexander Austin
- The power of auditing as a preventative regulatory tool with Dr Tatjana Nedelkoska
- Regulatory practitioner capability frameworks
- Measuring the effectiveness of engagement workshop
- Body worn cameras, monitoring and surveillance
- Effective regulatory decision making with Rowena Park
On behalf of the AELERT Leadership Team, National Council, partners and affiliates, and your fellow members, thank you! Thanks for your input, dedication, passion and hard work to make this network a place where we can come together and support each other.
2025 will be a year of consolidating learnings, greater collaboration, and new opportunities to connect. Watch this space for more exciting news ahead.
Wishing you happy holidays and plenty of festive cheer!
Greg Abood
AELERT CEO
