The Australian Government's Innovation Report

ANSTO’s Dr Tony Taylor with the membrane bioreactor which cleans waste
water. The technology won best new invention on ABC TV’s The New
Inventors programme in October 2006.
Dr Taylor in his laboratory at ANSTO. The technology has applications for water
treatment, aquaculture and antibiotic production.
Photo credits: ANSTO
Interactive CD enhances understanding: The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) coral reef
scientists and oceanographers are helping regional communities to better understand how runoff, water quality
and reefs are connected.
The institute has contributed to the Douglas Shire Water Quality Improvement Project by producing a baseline
description of the coral reefs and the water quality in the shire’s coastal waters.
The project was established to assist the Douglas Shire and its residents maintain the health of regional marine
habitats through land use practices that minimise pollutants onto the Great Barrier Reef. Measurements such
as coral cover and levels of nutrients and pesticides in the water will be used to assess water quality and the
overall health of local reefs over time.
The report from this activity is now available to the local
community in an interactive web page-style CD that provides
a summary of the current state of coastal water quality and
the status of coral reefs in the region. The CD also presents
historical data to show the extent of natural variability in reef
coral cover and water quality, using information from past
reefs to understand current and future trends.
This interactive CD aims to educate regional communities on the
connectedness of terrestrial run-off, water quality and coral reefs.
Photo credits: AIMS
The CD will be distributed to regional libraries, schools,
extension offices and community-based natural resource
management groups. It emphasises the close links between
regional rainfall, freshwater runoff and water quality in
coastal waters bordering the shire.
With a mouse-click readers may select and view pictures and videos of the reefs as well as graphical data on changes
in reef coral cover and crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks.
Reclaiming water: International Science Linkages (ISL) programme funding has enabled Australian researchers
with expertise in water recycling, hydrogeology and groundwater management to join with researchers and industry
from 12 countries in the European Union’s Reclaim Water project.
The Stormwater Aquifer Storage Transfer and Recovery (ASTR) for a Potable Urban Water Supply project received
funding in October 2005 through the programme.
94 Backing Australia’s Ability