National Committee for Geographical Sciences

The National Committee for Geographical Sciences (NCGS) fosters geography in Australia, links the Academy to Australian geographers and relevant scientific societies, and links Australian geographers to their overseas counterparts, primarily through the International Geographical Union (IGU).

Geography: Shaping Australia’s Future

Geography: Shaping Australia’s Future was published by the National Committee for Geographical Sciences in 2018 and presents a detailed report on geography as a discipline in Australia. It provides a unified vision for Australian geography over the next decade. The plan provides a framework for engaging research, teaching and industry that aligns strategically with contemporary social, economic and environmental challenges of our region.

Learn more about Geography: Shaping Australia’s Future.

Governance

• Terms of reference (PDF, 243 KB)

Reports and activities

• Submission—Consultation on the National Environmental Science Program, July 2019
• Submission - Inquiry into the management and use of Commonwealth environmental water, April 2018
• Submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Inquiry into the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, March 2018 (Cameron Allen, Graciela Metternicht, Thomas Wiedmann) (PDF, 280KB)
• Report: Strategic Directions for the Geographical Sciences
• Sustainable Futures—Teaching and learning: A case study approach, edited by Margaret Robertson
• International Year of Global Understanding 2016

Related groups and organisations

• International Geographical Union (IGU)

Members

• Chair: Emeritus Professor Iain Hay
  • Flinders University, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences & Director, Royal Geographical Society of South Australia
  • Research expertise: Human geography, geographies of domination and oppression, wealth and income inequality.
• Deputy Chair: Associate Professor Kirsten Martinus
• The University of Western Australia, School of Social Sciences, Department of Geography
• Research expertise: Economic and human geography, regional development and planning, urban planning and economic development.
• Ex-officio: Mr John Tasker
  • The Royal Geographical Society of Queensland, President.
  • Research expertise: Spatial data management, geography, remote sensing and spatial information support, project management.
• Ex-officio: Professor Melissa Nursey-Bray
• University of Adelaide, Deputy Director, Institute of Sustainability, Energy and Resources (ISER), President of The Institute of Australian Geographers.
• Research expertise: Human geography, climate change, biodiversity, Indigenous climate adaptation.
• Ex-Officio: Dr Susan Caldis
• Macquarie University, School of Education, President, Australian Geography Teachers Association
• Research expertise: Social sciences, geographical education.
• Ex-officio: Professor Matthew Tonts
• The University of Western Australia, School of Social Sciences, Department of Geography
• Research expertise: Environmental geography, regional development, and rural communities.
• Committee member: Professor Matthew Kearnes
• University of New South Wales, Sydney, School of Humanities and Languages
• Research expertise: Science and Technology Studies (STS), social and cultural geography
• Committee member: Dr Meg Sherval
• University of Newcastle, College of Engineering, Science and the Environment, School of Environment and Life Sciences
• Research expertise: rural, legal and environmental geography
• Committee member: Professor Phil McManus
• University of Sydney, School of Humanities and Languages, International Geographical Union
• Research expertise: sustainable cities, transport infrastructure and representations of nature in the construction of a range of environmental issues
• Observer: Professor Steve Turton
• Central Queensland University, Adjunct Professor of Environmental Geography
• Research expertise: Environmental geography, tropical climatology and climate change, rainforest disturbance ecology.
• Observer: Professor Graciela Metternicht
  • Western Sydney University, Dean of Science
  • Research expertise: Environmental geography, environmental management, remote sensing applications, sustainability.