AARES National Symposium 2003

Newsletter of the Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society Inc.

Volume 16, Number 2, August 2004

CONTENTS

The activities of the Society over the past decade have ensured that we can move forward with confidence. Our journal, conferences, symposia and various branch activities have provided a platform of intellectual rigour and financial security that gives enormous strength to the profession of agricultural and resource economics in

Australia

and

New Zealand

. We cannot however rest on our laurels. This is a time of change for the profession generally and for the Society specifically. The benefits of the Society’s willingness to adapt to change, as demonstrated by its name change to explicitly acknowledge interests in resource economics, are now clear. Such adaptability remains crucial to the future success of the Society.

Changes in the editorial team of the Journal are now in place. Members will also notice changes in the format of the Journal commencing in Volume 49, 2005. Without altering the font size, some cost savings will be achieved through measures such as reducing margin sizes and removing spaces between footnotes. I’m confident that these changes will not impact on the readability of the Journal.

Further changes to the management of the Journal are also under consideration. Negotiations with Blackwells regarding the Society’s contract with them for the publication of the Journal are still in progress. One reason for the delay in reaching an accord with Blackwells is that negotiations have been extended to include the prospect of using a web-based article management system. Whilst choosing this option would mean higher costs for the Society, it would significantly reduce the burden on editors, reviewers and authors.

Whilst the editorial team of the Journal has now changed, the contract with Blackwells for publishing the Journal continues through to December. There is therefore a period of six months in which we have needed some transition arrangements for the Journal’s editorial office. Honey Greenwood will continue to operate the editorial office from The University of New England until the end of this year when we hope to have arrangements in place for Blackwells to take over that function. On behalf of the Society I’d like to thanks Honey for her willingness to keep on in this role and to acknowledge her contribution to the Society during the period of the O’Donnell/Mullen editorial team.

The change in location and staffing of the Society’s Central Office has also taken place. Annie Hurst has taken on the position of Manager in the Central Office. Annie will work half a day a week – normally on Wednesdays – at the Asia Pacific School of Economics and Government at the ANU. She is looking forward to meeting as many members as possible and to hearing from you by email or phone. Details of the new contact details for the Central Office are given later in this edition of News and Views.

Looking forward to future events gives cause for excitement! Frank Scrimgeour and Geoff Kerr have put together a “star-studded” line up of speakers from

Australia

New Zealand

and the

United States

for the 7^th Annual Symposium that is entitled “Frontiers in Resource Management”. The likes of Loomis, Grafton, Kerr, Libecap and Bell will ensure a compelling programme. It looks like the Kiwis won’t stop at winning the Bledisloe Cup in trying to “one-up” the Aussies!

I’m hoping that holding the Symposium in Auckland this year will help to cement closer ties between the Society and members of the profession in

New Zealand

. AARES can only be strengthened by the synergies that such closer ties will generate. I therefore urge members from all branches to attend what promises to be one of the Society’s best symposia yet.

Garry Griffith and Bob Farquharson are also on track to maintain the Society’s recent string of first class conferences. February 2005 in Coffs Harbour sounds to me like the perfect venue for a conference!

Looking even further into the future, 2006 is going to be a very significant year in the history of the Society. Our NSW Branch has indicated an interest in commemorating the inception of the Society by holding our annual conference in the city of its birth – Sydney. Planning is also well underway for the International Association of Agricultural Economics conference proposed for the Gold Coast in August of 2006. Mal Wegener and his Local Organising Committee have been busy constructing budgets for the conference so that the Society can negotiate a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Association to hold the conference. My thinking at the moment is that members of our Society could take an active role in the International Conference through the incorporation of our 2006 Annual Symposium into the programme of the IAAE conference.

With this array of high quality events just over the horizon, I’m expecting to be seeing many of you in the near future. When we meet, I’d be pleased to hear any suggestions you may want to put forward to improve the service provided by the Society. And if you aren’t able to make it to these forthcoming events, please don’t hesitate to contact me by phone or email.

The 2005 Conference of the Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society will be held in Coffs Harbour, on the sunny north coast of NSW. The conference will be held at the Novotel Pacific Bay Resort, the home of the Wallabies! With a beachfront location at Charlesworth Bay, just 3 km north of Coffs Harbour, the Resort is framed by ocean, mountains, natural forest and banana plantations (see http://www.pacificbayresort.com.au). This area boasts great restaurants, activities and attractions and the spectacular Dorrigo National Park and Solitary Islands Marine Park. Regular air flights are available to Coffs Harbour from Sydney and Melbourne.

The Conference will run from Wednesday 9^th to Friday 11^th February 2005, with a Pre-Conference Salinity Economics workshop on Tuesday 8^th February. This will give delegates the opportunity to enjoy the weekend in the Coffs Coast or to explore some of the attractions that the rest of NSW has to offer.

The Conference will have a combination of both 'Invited Speaker' and 'Contributed Paper' sessions. An impressive lineup of speakers is being arranged.

All members and interested non-members are invited to submit titles for contributed papers. Contributed papers in all areas of agricultural and resource economics are welcomed. Around 150 contributed papers are presented at the conference each year. The deadlines for contributed papers are:

· Submit abstracts including key words (100 words maximum): Friday 12^th November 2004

The Conference Organiser is All Occasions Management, 41 Anderson Street, Thebarton South Australia 5031. Phone: (08) 8354 2285; Fax: (08) 8354 1456; Email: amq@aomevents.com.

If you join the AARES, and attend the Conference as a member, one benefit is a lower registration fee. Membership and conference information can be obtained from the AARES web site at: http://come.to/aares.

The 7^th AARES Symposium will be held 6 and 7 October 2004 at the Hilton in the Viaduct Basin, Princes Wharf, 147 Quay Street, Auckland, New Zealand.

This year’s symposium focuses on analytical techniques in economics which can be used by researchers and analysts to produce better results for public policy. This symposium is an opportunity for attendees to advance their understanding in the application of these techniques given their relevance to contemporary resource management challenges.

The Symposium will feature key international speakers from the United States, Australia and New Zealand with wide experience in applied economic analysis of resource management and policy issues along with panel discussions

Confirmed Speakers include Professor John Loomis, from Colorado State University, Professor Quentin Grafton, from The Australian National University, Dr Suzi Kerr from Motu Economic and Public Policy Research Trust. Wellington, Professor Gary Libecap, The University of Arizona and Mr Brian Bell from Nimmo-Bell in Wellington.

The programme will commence on Wednesday evening with a social event and the setting up of posters. On the Thursday there will be speakers and panel discussions followed by dinner with awards and entertainment.

The Symposium Organisers are now calling for poster papers. Please send poster abstracts and inquiries to: Pamela Kaval, pkaval@mngt.waikato.ac.nz University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand, or phone 64 7-838-4045

AARES country representative and convenor of the IAAE Conference Management Committee, Mal Wegener, will attend the executive meeting of the International Association of Agricultural Economists when it meets in Denver in August 2004 to report on preparations for the next International Conference of Agricultural Economists which will be held in Australia in 2006.

The 26th International Conference of Agricultural Economists will be held in the new Gold Coast Convention Centre from 12-18 August 2006. The Centre is adjacent to the Conrad-Jupiters Hotel and Casino at Broadbeach on the Gold Coast and welcomed its first guests to the opening dinner on 27 June 2004.

Planning for the conference, which is expected to attract over 700 national and international delegates, is now gaining momentum. The Conference Management Committee has appointed Hoteliers International as the conference organisers and a committee comprising Mal Wegener, George Antony, Tracy Henderson, and Roley Piggott has now been meeting with the conference organiser for several months.

In preparing for the meeting with the IAAE executive, Mal Wegener visited Tokyo last month as part of a visit to China for discussions with the IAAE Vice-President, Prof. Keijiro Otsuka from FASID (Foundation for Advanced Studies on International Development). As Vice-President (Program), Prof. Otsuka is responsible for organising the main elements of the program for IAAE 2006 which will follow the format of the previous conference in Durban in 2003.

Prof. Otsuka circulated 25 of the leading agricultural economists in the world before deciding on the theme for the 2006 conference, "Contribution of agricultural economics to the rapidly changing world". Invited speakers to the four main plenary sessions of the conference will address four key topics that relate to this issue:

2. What is the nexus between agriculture and industry in a rapidly changing World?

An internationally-recognised agricultural economist has been invited to deliver the Elmhirst lecture at the conference.

In addition to the plenary sessions with invited speakers, there will be plenty of opportunity for agricultural economists to participate in the conference through contributed paper sessions and posters, discussion groups, and computer sessions.

The conference organising committee has been working with the AARES council to frame a budget that will be presented to the IAAE Executive in Denver along with a draft Memorandum of Understanding regarding duties and responsibilities of both organisations in regard to the conference. In a departure from past arrangements between IAAE and the host organisation, and based on experience with the successful outcomes from our own national conferences, AARES is proposing a profit sharing arrangement with IAAE. The Conference Management Committee will also take a booth at the American Agricultural Economics Association annual meeting in Denver to promote the conference.

The International Conference of Agricultural Economists has not been held in Australia since 1967 when the Australian Agricultural Economics Society (as it was known then) was a mere decade old. As AARES approaches its half century of service to the community in the area of

agricultural and resource economics, we are planning to celebrate another milestone with the International Association. The IAAE will turn 75 in 2006 and was an important influence on members of the Australian agricultural economics profession in the early 1950s when they considered forming a professional society.

Over 800 delegates from 75 countries attended the most recent IAAE conference in Durban in August 2003 so these conferences provide a great opportunity to meet agricultural economists working on the full range of economic, social, and environmental issues that confront the developed, and developing nations of the world.

Further information about the International Association of Agricultural Economists or the 26th Conference of Agricultural Economists can be obtained from Dr Malcolm Wegener at The University of Queensland, email malcolm.wegener@uq.edu.au or phone 07 3365 2939.

Membership

As at July, there were 619 paid individual members in the Society. This represents a 13 per cent increase on last year’s subscriptions. There has been particularly strong growth in the Victorian and NSW branch numbers. However, this good news is tempered by the fact that across all branches, 166 members did not re-subscribe in 2003.

Lapsed membership is of great concern to the Federal Council and we are currently working to ensure that we slow the rate at which we lose our members.

Conference Sponsorship

Sponsorship activity is being conducted by myself, the Local Organising Committee and the conference coordinators – All Occasion Management.

The LOC has cast the net wide and have an extensive list of prospective sponsors that will be contacted over the coming months. My thanks are extended to both Terrence Farrell and Gary Griffith for their outstanding contributions.

To date, I have been able to secure $27 500 from on-going sponsors such as the DAFF, RIRDC, ACIAR and the Productivity Commission. Unfortunately, however, some of our previous sponsors have been unable to offer sponsorship for 2005. This leaves us somewhat short of the estimated $40 000 needed to ensure the financial success of the conference. If you can suggest any organisation that may be willing and able to offer support, please let myself or the LOC know.

Other Activities

I have arranged for AJARE promotional material to be displayed at a number of events over the last couple of months, including the Economic Education Conference (University of South Australia) and the ABARE Regional Outlook conferences (Gunnedah). ABARE has agreed to display the brochures at each of their monthly Regional Outlook conferences. The brochures will also be displayed by the School of Accounting, Economics and Finance at the Deakin University Open Days throughout August.

If you know of an event where we can potentially display our promotional material, please contact either myself or Annie Hurst at the Central Office.

Connections continues in the stable of AARES products, with web-publishing support from Nanette Esparon at the University of Melbourne. Bill Malcolm and Glenn Ronan continue to work with interested authors to publish occasional notes and articles, rather than the original magazine format. If you may have written about a current issue, perhaps for a local purpose, then you may like to think about sharing your material with others. Contact Bill or Glenn to discuss.

Conference papers from the AARES 2003 Annual Conference (Melbourne) are now posted on the AARES web site http://www.come.to/aares. In an email sent by the conference organisers delegates will receive a user name and a password that enable them to access the papers.

Volunteers who can help manage and improve the AARES web site are required. Firstly, we are seeking a person who has some basic web management skills or are willing to learn more about web management. Secondly, we are looking for a volunteer who would be in charge of improving the content of the web page. This second person does not need to have any web management or programming skills. If you are interested in either of these positions, please contact the current AARES Web Manager at atakelty.hailu@uwa.edu.au.

Kym Anderson from University of Adelaide and Derek Byerlee from the World Bank were recently made Fellows of the American Agricultural Economics Association (AAEA). Thus two of the six Fellows honoured at the AAEA meeting were Australians – Congratulations to Kym and Derek from AARES.

This one-stop guide to the national economy lets you check out statistics, access a wealth of federal government information and learn more about economic concepts and events. www.canadianeconomy.gc.ca.

The results of the survey provide insights directly from farmers into land degradation & the adoption of sustainable farming practices. An understanding of the influences on the adoption of sustainable farming assists the design & implementation of government programs to better support natural resource management & prevent future land degradation.

The document is available in electronic format only. To download a free PDF (product code 12675) please Register at ABARE's online shop www.abareonlineshop.com

The North American Branch (NAB) of AARES has a tradition of organizing a dinner in conjunction with the annual AAEA meetings. The NAB/AARES dinner was held on Monday, August 2nd at Croc's Mexican Grill in Denver, Colorado. There were a few brief formalities including the announcement of the "Heading South" winner. Details of the “Heading South” winner will be published in a future issue of AARES News & Views.

The deadline for receipt of any items for inclusion in the next edition of AARES News & Views is Friday 29 October 2004. Please send items to Annie Hurst at the Central Office: aares@anu.edu.au.

Advertisements in AARES News and Views are welcomed. The mailing list for News & Views exceeds 700. Advertising cost is $55 (including GST). Enquiries to LPechey@abare.gov.au.

Branch	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Armidale	29	37	26	28	24	30	25	21
ACT	84	81	88	85	73	79	66	87
North America	17	24	48	60	94	91	74	73
NSW	108	105	109	114	110	101	80	110
NZ	25	28	38	35	38	31	28	35
Overseas	30	34	33	46	47	45	53	35
QLD	69	67	67	80	63	68	54	61
SA	20	22	28	37	66	62	42	41
VIC	100	88	86	85	76	111	77	112
WA	32	41	83	54	48	47	47	44
Total	514	527	606	624	639	670	546	619