Welcome from the Irrigation Australia Limited Chair

Dear Industry Colleagues,

On behalf of Irrigation Australia Limited, I extend an invitation to you to attend the 'Irrigation 2011 - New Horizons, Fresh Ideas Conference', to be held in Launceston from the 22 – 25 August.

After the success of the National Conference and Exhibition in Sydney last year it is great to be heading once again to the regions. This year we leave the mainland (and the success of the '2009 Swan Hill Regional Conference and Exhibition') to explore New Horizons in Tasmania. With 17 years since the last conference in Tasmania, there will be lots of Fresh Ideas up for discussion.

I would particularly like to invite those of you who are new to the irrigation industry to attend. This is a great time to come along and see for yourself not just the new technologies and practices under development, but how Irrigation Australia unites the diverse range of people, professions, companies and topics which make up the irrigation industry. The event also provides an opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with your peers in the industry. If experiences of past attendees are repeated, you will be more than amply rewarded by the experience.

I, and the rest of the IAL Board, look forward to seeing you in Launceston.

Peter Toome

Board Chair

Irrigation Australia Limited

Welcome from the Conference Chairman

What an exciting time for me to invite you to IAL's Regional Conference in Tasmania. The investment in Tasmania by the Federal and State Governments into irrigation efficiency projects is well underway, with four significant projects under construction and a number in the final stages of planning and approval. This brings with it a lot of challenges and opportunities in the planning and delivery of 21st century irrigation schemes which deliver across the triple bottom-line. All those involved are keen to share their experiences and learnings with delegates. The exhibition will also have a distinct Tasmanian flavour which will showcase the capabilities being used in the Tasmanian development.

We are also keen to learn from other's experience across Australia, and yes even New Zealand. To achieve this we have developed an exciting program mix covering a diverse range of irrigation and water management topics from catchments to irrigation schemes and onto farms. We will hear from leading practitioners, researchers, engineers, policy and catchment management presenters over the two days of both seminar and workshop formats. The conference will end with our very own Q&A session which proved so popular in Sydney. This year will see the introduction of audience voting to get even greater participation.

You would be mad to come all this way and not stay for the tours to see for yourself what's happening down here.

So I hope you make the most of Tasmania's legendry hospitality and I look forward to seeing you during the conference and exhibition, and social functions of course!

Chris Thompson

Macquarie Franklin