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We recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as the sovereign Traditional Owners of Australia and thank them for their stewardship of this Country, its lands, waters and skies. We respectfully acknowledge their culture and customary practices, and pay respect to their Ancestors, Elders and future leaders.

For the first time, the State of the Environment report includes a strong Indigenous narrative across all 12 thematic chapters, a narrative crafted through recognising the leadership, collaboration and authorship of Indigenous Australians who continue their connection as Traditional Owners to their lands, waters and skies.

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Authors and acknowledgements

Authors

Headshot of author Sarah Hill
Dr Sarah Hill
Dr. Sarah Hill has a passion for creating thriving cities. As CEO of the expanded Western Parkland City Authority, Sarah is leading the delivery of Australia’s largest and most ambitious city-building project of the last century. This work builds on the vision she co-created as the inaugural CEO of the Greater Sydney Commission. Under Sarah’s leadership, the Commission developed new ways of engaging with citizens, measuring and monitoring key planning outcomes and aligning growth with infrastructure. Sarah has received numerous professional awards locally and internationally, including the 2012 UDIA Women in Development Award, 2015 NSW and 2016 PIA Australian Planner of the Year. She is also Fellow and a past-President of the Planning Institute of Australia (NSW Division), is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Technology Sydney’s Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building and continues to be a thought leader with a particular focus on the economics of cities and the feasibility of development. 
Headshot of author Zena Cumpston
Zena Cumpston
Zena Cumpston is a Barkandji woman with family connection to Broken Hill and Menindee in western New South Wales. She currently lives in Melbourne on the lands of the Wurundjeri people with her partner and two young boys. Zena works as a writer, curator, consultant and researcher and is passionate about truth-telling and undertaking projects that directly benefit her community and Country. In 2021 she curated the show Emu Sky for Science Gallery Melbourne, bringing together more than 30 Aboriginal community members from across southeastern Australia. Running until July 2022, Emu Sky explores Aboriginal knowledge through artworks, research and storytelling and is accompanied by an extensive education program. In 2022 her book 'Plants', co-authored with Professor Lesley Head and Associate Professor Michael-Shawn Fletcher, will be released as part of the 'First Knowledges' series.
Headshot of Gabriela Quintana Vigiola
Gabriela Quintana Vigiola
Dr Gabriela Quintana Vigiola is an academic and consultant in the urban design and planning sectors. She joined the University of Technology Sydney in 2012, and lectures in urban planning at the School of the Built Environment. Her interests range from urban design to cultural and psychosocial studies. Her current research focuses on social–urban issues, including informal settlements, housing for ‘vulnerable’ populations and place making. Dr Quintana Vigiola’s previous research focused on place making through culture in informal settlements in Caracas, Venezuela. She is currently developing a study about housing for domestic violence survivors, with a focus on place, displacement and violence.

Acknowledgements 

We would like to acknowledge and thank all the experts who provided their insights in the discussion of the data and assessment of the environment, pressures and management of the urban environment presented in this chapter: 

  • Ms Tanya Koeneman, La Perouse Koori community member and Jerrinjah and Wonnarua descendant
  • Professor Emma Baker, University of Adelaide
  • Mr John Brockhoff, Planning Institute of Australia
  • Professor Paul Burton, Griffith University
  • Ms Beck Dawson, Chief Resilience Officer, Metropolitan Sydney
  • Associate Professor Paul Maginn, Co-Convenor of the Australian Cities Research Network, University of Western Australia
  • Ms Filipina Moore, Victorian Planning Authority
  • Associate Professor Awais Piracha, University of Western Sydney.

We would like to also thank the state and territory agencies that provided input to key facts and case studies, and local councils that participated in the chapter survey.