PESA SA/NT shook up their usual luncheon format, replacing the customary single speaker with a panel of four experts to broaden the conversation and connect perspectives from across the sector.
The brief was simple: bring together voices from industry, government, and academia, and explore what each sees as the opportunities, challenges, and future directions for the petroleum sector. Drawing on decades of combined experience, each panellist shared a short presentation on a topic of their choosing.
Leslie Atkinson was up first and took us through Bass Oil’s exciting Triassic exploration opportunities in the Cooper Basin. The Adelaide University’s Kathryn Amos followed, with a succinct and eye-opening state of play in secondary and tertiary geo-science education. Chris Cubitt from the SA Department of Energy and Mining spoke from the standpoint of government and its role in supporting investment via targeted project work and acreage release. Andrew McKerron closed out the forum with a look at Beach Energy, their vision and what they are doing to become Australia’s leading domestic energy company.
The trial proved a success, with strong audience engagement, plenty of thoughtful questions and no shortage of discussion. Based on the positive feedback received, the PESA SA/NT committee has confidence this could become a semi-regular event on our calendar.
