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| Australian National Committee on Large Dams | |
|---|---|
| Name | Australian National Committee on Large Dams |
| Formation | 1968 |
| Type | Non‑profit organisation |
| Headquarters | Australia |
| Region served | Australia, Asia‑Pacific |
| Language | English |
| Leader title | President |
| Parent organization | International Commission on Large Dams |
Australian National Committee on Large Dams is a national committee dedicated to the advancement of dam engineering, dam safety and water resources management in Australia and the Asia‑Pacific region, engaging with professional bodies and infrastructure agencies. It operates as a national arm of an international federation and collaborates with research institutions, regulatory authorities and industry participants to promote technical standards, knowledge exchange and capacity building. The committee links historical dam projects with contemporary dam safety practice and policy development across multiple Australian jurisdictions.
The committee was formed in the context of post‑war infrastructure expansion and hydraulic engineering developments influenced by figures such as John Monash, Cecil Palmer, and institutional actors including Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and University of Melbourne engineering departments. Its origins reflect international frameworks embodied by the International Commission on Large Dams and parallel national bodies like United States Society on Dams and British Dam Society. Early milestones paralleled major Australian works such as Snowy Mountains Scheme, Ord River Scheme, and Wivenhoe Dam, with cross‑jurisdictional dialogue involving state agencies like New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment, Queensland Department of Natural Resources, and Victoria Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning.
Governance arrangements mirror common practice among professional associations including councils, technical committees and executive officers, drawing governance models from organisations such as Engineers Australia, Institution of Civil Engineers, and International Water Association. The committee interfaces with national regulators such as SafeWork NSW and statutory authorities like Southern Rural Water and WaterNSW while aligning with standards bodies including Standards Australia and the Australian Building Codes Board. It typically convenes an elected president, vice‑president, treasurer and secretary, supported by specialised technical working groups and a board that liaises with academic partners at institutions such as University of Queensland, Monash University, and University of Adelaide.
Core functions encompass technical review, policy advice, dissemination of best practice and stewardship of the professional community, interacting with agencies like Australian National University research centres, Geoscience Australia and infrastructure planners such as Infrastructure Australia. Activities include organising symposia, technical conferences and seminars similar to events held by International Commission on Large Dams and World Bank water programmes, publishing technical papers in venues akin to Australian Journal of Civil Engineering and coordinating field visits to major works like Gordon (Gordon Dam), Bartlett Dam (Tasmania), and irrigation infrastructure such as Murray–Darling Basin schemes. The committee provides forum functions comparable to Australian Water Association and professional development aligned with Chartered Professional Engineer pathways.
The committee contributes to the development and interpretation of technical documents and guidance compatible with documents from Standards Australia, Engineers Australia codes of practice, and international guidance from International Commission on Large Dams and World Commission on Dams. It informs practice on topics including spillway design, seepage control and seismic resilience referencing precedents such as Wivenhoe Dam flood mitigation works, lessons from incidents like Balkan Dam failures and risk frameworks used by Australian Securities and Investments Commission in infrastructure disclosure. Guideline outputs aim to harmonise state differences among jurisdictions including Tasmania Department of Primary Industries, South Australian Water Corporation and Western Australian Department of Water and Environmental Regulation.
The committee supports collaborative research with universities and research bodies such as CSIRO and partner programmes with international actors like Asian Development Bank and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Training initiatives include short courses, workshops and mentoring aligned with postgraduate programmes at University of New South Wales, RMIT University and continuing professional development schemes from Engineers Australia. It facilitates secondments and knowledge transfer to agencies operating in the Pacific Islands and Southeast Asia including collaborations with Papua New Guinea water authorities and technical assistance frameworks used by Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Membership spans practising engineers, academics, consultants, dam owners and regulators, with individual and corporate membership categories reflecting models used by Institution of Civil Engineers and American Society of Civil Engineers. Affiliations include formal linkage to the International Commission on Large Dams and cooperative relationships with professional bodies such as Australian Water Association, Engineers Australia, Geotechnical Society of Australia and international entities like International Water Association and Asian Civilisations Museum‑partnered programs. Members often represent organisations such as Snowy Hydro Limited, Sunwater, Seqwater and consulting firms analogous to GHD Group and Arup.
The committee has influenced reviews, technical assessments and knowledge products related to major Australian projects including the Snowy Mountains Scheme, Wivenhoe Dam flood studies, upgrades at Hume Dam, and rehabilitation works on regional earthfill dams serving Murray–Darling Basin irrigation. Contributions include expert panels for post‑event investigations, best‑practice guidance for spillway remediation, and capacity building projects supporting dam safety programs in Papua New Guinea, Timor‑Leste and Pacific Island states, in coordination with agencies like Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research and Australia Pacific Islands Forum. The committee’s outputs inform policy and investment decisions at bodies such as Infrastructure Australia and state ministerial offices overseeing water and infrastructure portfolios.
Category:Organisations based in Australia Category:Water supply and sanitation in Australia Category:Dams in Australia