“Getting to Zero” – Pathways to Deep Decarbonisation

Professor John Thwaites

Monash University

John Thwaites is a Professorial Fellow, Monash University, and Chair of ClimateWorks Australia and the Monash Sustainability Institute.

John also chairs the Australian Building Codes Board, the Peter Cullen Water and Environment Trust and is a director of the Australian Green Building Council. In 2012 and 2013, John chaired the National Sustainability Council appointed by the Federal Government to report on Australia’s sustainability.

John is a member of the Leadership Council of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (“SDSN”) launched by the Secretary General of the UN to provide expert advice and support to the development of the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals. In 2012 and again in 2013, John was named as one of the 100 Global Sustainability Leaders by ABC Carbon Express.

In 2008-2010, John was a special adviser to the Timor-Leste Minister for Infrastructure and helped develop an Infrastructure Plan for Timor-Leste.

John Thwaites was Deputy Premier of Victoria from 1999 until his retirement in 2007. During this period he was Minister for Health, Minister for Planning, Minister for Environment, Minister for Water, Minister for Victorian Communities and Victoria’s first Minister for Climate Change. In these portfolios he was responsible for major reforms in social policy, health, environment and water.

Prior to being elected to Parliament, he was a barrister and Mayor of South Melbourne.

He has degrees in Law (Honours) and Science from Monash Univeristy.