2025 has been a year of significant activity for AELERT, with a strong focus on delivering value to members through knowledge-sharing, collaboration, and practical tools. The AELERT team have partnered with you our dedicated members, Community of Practice groups, National Council, and trusted partners from across the globe to deliver an engaging series of events, webinars, and workshops to provide regulators with opportunities to engage on emerging issues, share best practice, and strengthen skills to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing regulatory landscape.

The network continues to expand in both size and diversity, now including more than 110 member agencies, affiliates, and network partners with over 2,020 individual members spanning Australasia and beyond. Our community reflects a rich tapestry of expertise, perspectives, and shared purpose which only serves to strengthen our shared capabilities.

As ever, our commitment to advancing the regulatory craft and facilitate learning, collaboration, and innovative ideas that all our members can benefit from is our top priority, and we are so fortunate to have so many incredible regulators all working together to help one another and deliver the best outcomes for the public good.

Table of contents:

• Membership – A growing network for a stronger future
• Delievering on the 2023-25 Strategic Plan
• Leadership and governance
• 2025 work programs for smarter regulation
• Communities of Practice collaborating across jurisdictions
• Events – where innovation meets action
• Building momentum: our 2026 roadmap

Our local government community has also grown significantly, with new members from New South Wales: Bellingen Shire, Broken Hill City, Byron Shire, Campbelltown City, Cootamundra-Gundagai, Hornsby Shire, Lismore, MidCoast, Moree Plains Shire, Murray River, Randwick City, The Hills Shire, and Wollongong City Councils.

Plus, a number from South Australia including Alexandrina, Barunga West, City of Playford, Clare and Gilbert Valley, District of Streaky Bay, Northern Areas, and Wattle Range Councils. In addition to the Kapiti Coast District Council in Aotearoa New Zealand.

We’re also pleased to welcome researchers from the University of Wollongong, University of New South Wales, Queensland University of Technology, and Edith Cowan University, whose academic insights will help strengthen the evidence base for smarter regulation.

AELERT CEO Gregory Abood at the 2025 APEC Forum in Incheon, South Korea

Delivering on the AELERT 2023-25 Strategic Plan

In line with the AELERT 2023–25 Strategic Plan, AELERT has made significant strides in strengthening regulatory capability, expanding our network, and enhancing the tools and opportunities available to members.

• Strategic placement in the South Australian EPA

AELERT has found a new home within the SA Government after being supported and hosted by the Commonwealth for the past five years. This placement has provided the network with supports to operate effectively and efficiently to provide the vital services to support our members.

• Flagship product enhancements

Two of the networks’ most prominent tools have undergone significant works to refresh and enhance their contents ensuring fit-for-purpose implementation for modern regulators. The Modern Regulator Improvement Tool (MRIT) was enhanced and re-launched in late 2024, and the Regulatory Officer Capability Framework and self-assessment tool is in the process of adding additional competency units expanding the competency mapping and survey to include cultural capabilities, impact assessment, compliance auditing, and climate change as optional modules.

• Strengthening the Communities of Practice (CoPs)

This year AELERT’s network groups operated together more than ever with the co-delivery of a variety of presentations, workshops, and talks that overlapped multiple group interests. This engagement and collaboration helps to shape the topics and activities planned for 2026 and beyond.

• Global engagement for local outcomes

The collaboration with international partners at the AELERT-INECE 2024 Global Summit created new opportunities this year for member participation on the international stage, including representation at APEC forum held in Incheon, South Korea, through AELERT’s International Climate Change CoP, and shared work programs. In addition to ongoing collaboration with domestic partners such as NELA, AIPIO, and EIANZ.

• Regulatory stewardship in practice

Peak regulatory agencies in SA and NSW have joined forces to sponsor local governments in each region to join the AELERT network as provisional members. The SA EPA, Department of Environment and Water, and Energy & Mining, plus the NSW EPA and Natural Resources Access Regulator respectively, have demonstrated their leadership in exercising their regulatory stewardship in supporting peer regulators in their jurisdiction through AELERT.

EPA SA CEO Jon Gorvett, Deputy CEO Amy Dennison, AELERT National Council Chair Grant Barnes, and Council members Kate Gavens and Sally Strohmayr, and AELERT Leadership Team

AELERT CEO Designate Adam Slater

AELERT 2025 work programs for smarter regulation

This year AELERT’s working groups have been progressing four new programs of work and one continuing from 2024. These annual work programs drive practical outcomes across priority areas including emergency operations, legal penalties, maintaining regulatory integrity, reporting and communication and capability-building initiatives.

1. Regulatory Capture Toolkit

Through extensive member engagement and development of regulatory capture mitigation approaches in partnership with Recap Consultants and Mataki Environmental, AELERT launched a practical toolkit designed to provide actionable strategies to mitigate undue influence over regulatory agencies at three levels – agency leaders, personnel managers, and frontline regulatory staff.

2. Outcome Performance Reporting Guide

This practical step-by-step guide helps regulators understand, measure, and communicate the impact of their work to key stakeholders, supporting outcome-focused planning and translating regulatory activities into real-world impacts.

3. Enhancing the Regulatory Officer Capability Framework & Self-Assessment Tool (ongoing)

To reflect the unique composition and teams of member agencies, the regulatory officer capability framework is being expanded to include cultural capabilities as a core competency, plus optional competencies in impact assessment, compliance auditing, and climate change.

4. Lithium-ion battery incident response guides (ongoing)

Building on the cross-jurisdictional lithium-ion waste mapping project in 2024, this year members from the Waste Crime and Emergency Operations CoPs are progressing guidance materials on incident response scenarios to assist waste and emergency response teams.

5. Legal penalties comparative review and repository (ongoing)

The Legal Practice and Policy CoP along with a number of other representatives have been working to review and collate legal penalties in areas including waste crime, wildlife crime, biosecurity, climate change and environment protection.

Communities of Practice collaborating across jurisdictions

Over 82% of AELERT’s individual members are involved in at least one Community of Practice network group – our dedicated spaces for regulators to share, collaborate, learn and grow. This year, 1,659 members across 17 active groups met to tackle issues common across different jurisdictions and share approaches. The result has been a phenomenal number of presentations, workshops, and supportive conversations.

Before you read on and explore some of the session recordings (members can join a network group and watch selected recordings), why not get involved in 2026 as a CoP Lead? Expressions of interest are open now for 2026 here!

Access previous presentation recordings via the CoP forums:

• Communication, Education and Engagement CoP & Better Regulation

Using Behavioural Insights to Change Behaviour and Prevent Harm by Dr Kerry O’Brien (EPA VIC)

• Intelligence and Analysis CoP & Wildlife Crime CoP

Internet & Illegal wildlife Trade: ‘Technology Adoption & Future Challenges by Dr Adam Coombes (Adelaide University)

• Compliance Auditing CoP

A case study in the use of compliance auditing in a regulatory framework by Jenny Ehmsen (NSW Resources Regulator)

• Emergency Operations CoP (not recorded)

Incident response for mass bird poisoning and deaths in NSW by CoP Chair Jane Burgett (NSW EPA)

• Impact Assessment CoP and Energy & Mining CoP

The gigawatt scale challenge: Sharing lessons-learnt through the environmental impact assessment and approvals process for Australia’s largest renewable energy project, the Australia-Asia PowerLink by guest speaker Kylie Welch (SunCable). A consultant / regulators perspective exchange.

• Water Compliance CoP and First People Environmental Regulators CoP

Integrating Indigenous Values in Water Regulation presentation by Scott Carpenter and Carrissa Beatie (NRAR NSW)

• Intelligence and Analysis CoP (not recorded)

Show and tell session with Eamon Burnes (DCCEEW) discussing Intelligence capability design and Sarah Bellhouse (Victorian Conservation Regulator, Taskforce Ironbark) presenting a demonstration on Intelligence on illegal firewood take.

• Better Regulation CoP

The Hero’s Journey: Smarter Regulation, Environmental Regulators, and Environmental Researchers by Dr Chris McElwain (UNSW Faculty of Law and Justice)

• Emergency Operations CoP (not recorded)

A case study session on Mt Torrens bio-hazard Incident, covering the management of a large blood spill and Exercise Evidentia presented by Glen Cuttance (EPA SA).

• Waste Crime CoP (not recorded)

Exploration of a currently active investigation and the recent work undertaken regarding unlawful management of waste tyres. Although discussion was limited Dan Hunt (EPA VIC) shared strengths of good data collection and analysis and additional learnings.

• Impact Assessment CoP

Introducing DEM SA’s Mining Exploration Regulation System, applications and assessments platform by CoP Chair Paul Thompson

• Intelligence and Analysis CoP (not recorded)

will host a webinar by Phil Kowalick (AIPIO), who will share his insights following up where he left off at the 2024 AELERT INECE Global Summit.

• Compliance Auditing CoP

Compliance auditing as a regulatory tool by David Thomas (NSW NRAR)

• Emergency Operations CoP

Pollution Response Capability Assessment across Indian Ocean Territories including Christmas Island (CI) and Cocos (Keeling) Islands (CKI) by Kane Jackson and Cheyne Quesnel (DWER WA)

• Intelligence and Analysis CoP (not recorded)

Show and tell session presented by Chair Dr Anna Lukasiewicz on DCCEEWs Compliance Threat Prioritisation Parameters Table and a brief discussion on the focus for the CoP in 2026.

• Wildlife Crime CoP (not recorded)

Sam Hyson from Parks & Wildlife Commission of the NT presented on Advocacy in Wildlife Crime – The Importance of Engaging with Judiciary covering key learnings from presenting at the 2025 Judges Conference.

• Communication, Education and Engagement CoP

NitrateWatch – A citizen science project to understand the level of nitrates in New Zealand’s rural drinking water by Dr Karyne Rogers (EnviroTrace NZ)

• Better Regulation CoP (not recorded)

A discussion on fit and proper person approaches worldwide and domestically chaired by AELERT NC member Tess Cole Adams (DCCEEW) and included presentations from NC member Anne Chuter (Forest Practice Authority Tasmania) and the Department of Energy and Mining SA.

• Lyndsie Bourgon Tree Thieves Seminar | History and social drivers of illegal logging

The AELERT Leadership team and Conservation Regulator Victoria invited Canadian author Lyndsie Bourgon to present on the history of firewood use and exploration of the drivers of the global issue of illegal firewood take chaired by AELERT NC member Kate Gavens.

• First Peoples Environmental Regulators & Biodiversity & Protected Areas CoPs

A joint webinar on working on First Nations lands, and with Anangu rangers and community on landscapes and processes by Brett Backhouse who is an experienced field ecologist at Alinytjara Wilurara Landscape Board working in semi-arid to arid South Australia. Brett focuses on threatened species, their conservation and alleviating any threatening processes. The webinar also saw a presentation and engagement from Colleen Fraser, Principal Aboriginal Engagement Officer, NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust.

• Impact Assessment CoP

Guest speaker Jonathon Miller, CEO EIANZ, presented the progress of the certification in impact assessment, the recent EIANZ 2025 Impact Assessment Symposium and collaborative work with AELERT to develop an impact assessment module for the Regulatory Officer Capability Framework.

• Communication, Education and Engagement CoP

Encouraging pro-environmental behaviour by Associate Professor Wokje Abrahamse, an environmental psychologist from Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington. Wokje shared insights from psychological science on what drives pro-environmental behaviour and how interventions like information campaigns and feedback can help translate climate concern into meaningful action.

• Waste Crime CoP (not recorded)

Special guest David Michell and Brad Mathews from Australian Taxation Office presented on using ABR data during regulatory activities and available training.

• Legal Practice and Policy CoP (not recorded)

Ran a workshop on the Legal penalties comparative review and repository work program and shared policy and litigation outcomes across individual jurisdictions except Australian Commonwealth government and New Zealand central government.

• Better Regulation CoP

Outcomes performance reporting presentation and guide by Dr Su Wild‑River and Isabelle Patterson from the ACT Government exploring how to understand and implement AELERT’s newest tool.

AELERT Events: where innovation meets action

The program of in-person events and online workshops began late in 2024 immediately following the impactful AELERT-INECE 2024 Global Summit consolidating key learnings on a variety of topics aligned with member priorities in each jurisdiction. AELERT’s Regulator Gatherings also served to connect regulators with their peers and lay the foundations for deeper collaboration. As the year progressed workshops also included the launch of both the Regulatory Capture Toolkit, and the Outcomes Performance Reporting Guide.

AELERT delivered six regulator events in jurisdictions across Australia and also in Wellington, New Zealand, addressing key topics such as Indigenous voices and advancing First Peoples’ self-determination and inclusion in policy and practice, strengthening regulatory integrity and performance, innovative approaches to data collection and outcome reporting, risk-based regulation, intelligence-led regulatory priorities, safety for regulatory officers, illegal logging, and collaborative initiatives like ranger programs, eDNA projects, and interagency partnerships to tackle complex issues. Plus so much more.

Over 500 regulators attended AELERT in-person/hybrid events including:

• • AELERT Regulators Gathering – Larrakia Darwin – December 4
  • AELERT Regulators Gathering – Lutriwita Tasmania – December 10
  • AELERT Regulators Gathering – Wellington New Zealand – February 27
  • AELERT Regulators Gathering – Boorloo Perth – March 27
  • AELERT Regulators Gathering – Naarm Melbourne – May 22
  • AELERT Regulators Gathering – Eora Sydney – October 16

AELERT also delivered two masterclass workshops in partnership with subject matter experts Dr Piers Gillespie and Dr Marie Doole on risk communications and outrage management, and regulatory capture in environmental regulation respectively.

• • Regulatory Capture and Risk Communications Workshop South Australia – June 26
  • Regulatory Capture and Risk Communications Workshop Queensland – November 6

Regulatory capture was a key theme in 2025, featuring on the program of many events and with a number of dedicated workshops to members including NOPSEMA, DCCEEW, and the ACT Government.

And last, but certainly not least – AELERT’s Authorised Officer Training Workshop was delivered in both South Australia and New South Wales for 50 local government officers in each jurisdiction. Special thanks go out to the Department of Environment and Water SA, and NSW EPA for partnering to deliver these workshops.

• • Authorised Officer Training Workshop Adelaide – August 7
  • Authorised Officer Training Workshop Parramatta – October 17

Building momentum: our 2026 roadmap

Looking ahead, the AELERT team is focused on shaping and implementing our 2026–28 Strategic Plan to confidently guide the network into the future. The plan builds on our shared achievements while addressing emerging challenges facing our members.

We will enter the new year with renewed commitment to maximising the value we deliver to members through our essential products and services, and identifying opportunities for additional offerings. Our efforts remain firmly directed toward providing innovative solutions and cutting-edge tools that support member needs.

The AELERT 2026 Conference — Future-Ready Regulation: Embracing Innovation, Leading Change, Strengthening Systems is coming in late 2026!

Planning is well underway for the conference, which will focus on future-proofing regulatory systems and empowering members to harness innovation and technology for smarter, more effective regulation. Stay tuned for the release of the concept paper and key details.

Thank you to all our members and partners for your continued commitment to advancing regulatory practice. Together, we are building a future-ready network that supports the whole regulatory system, and we look forward to another stellar year together as part of the AELERT network.

AELERT CEO Gregory Abood with representatives from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) at the AELERT Regulators Gathering in Perth, WA.