Chief Executive - Scott Ashby

Chief Executive - Scott Ashby

SCOTT ASHBY, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, DEPARTMENT FOR WATER, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Scott Ashby is the Chief Executive of the Departmentfor Water (DFW) in the South Australian Government.DFW was established on 1 July 2010 to lead the management of South Australia's water resources and advise the Government andSouth Australian community on the quantity, quality, use and availability of the State’s water resources.

Prior to the formation of DFW, Scott was Chief Executive of the Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation (DWLBC) from September 2008. DWLBC provided leadership in natural resources management and enabled industry, community and government to develop and managewater and other natural resources in a way that balanced economic, social and environmental outcomes in South Australia.

Scottwaspreviously the South Australian Commissionerin the Murray-Darling Basin Commission and now represents South Australia on the Murray-Darling Basin Officials Committee (BOC).

Hisprevious roles included Deputy Chief Executive in the Department of the Premier and Cabinet (DPC),where he led DPC’s involvement in national water reform throughthe Council of Australian Governments (COAG) and national drought response through his membership of the First Ministers’ Senior Officials Group on Dry Inflow Contingency Planning.

Scott has worked in both the South Australian and Victorian public sectors since 1991, in a wide range of policy areas, including as Executive Director Strategic Policy in the Victorian Department of Primary Industries and a number of Executive positions in the Victorian Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

These roles included responsibility for policy areas addressing natural resources management, environment protection, water management, greenhouse and climate change, forestry, minerals and petroleum development, science policy, economic development, and intergovernmental relations.

In his current role,Scott is a member of the COAG Water Reform Committee, the eWater Cooperative Research Centre High Level Steering Committee, the SA Government ICT Board, the Government Planning Coordinating Committee, the Chief Executives’ Group on Aboriginal Affairs, the Water Security Council, the Adelaide Desalination Project Steering Committee, the Premier's High Level Drought Taskforce, the Goyder Institute for Water Research, and he chairs the Minister for Water’s Stormwater Taskforce.