Becoming Climate Ready Feb 2026

The course has been developed by Griffith’s Climate Action Beacon and delivered in partnership with Climate Jobs. The shared objective is to ensure that councils across Australia—including small and regional councils—can access high-quality, practical learning that builds long-term climate capability and strengthens organisational and community resilience.

The course will be brought to you by the Climate Ready Initiative (CRI) a key pillar of the Griffith Climate Action Beacon. CRI is a partnership-based social impact initiative that works with society to help shape a prosperous and just future for all. We seek to enable climate action by unlocking the economic and social development pathways that value net-zero emissions and climate resilience.

The course draws on practical experience and expertise from some of our CRI Associates and academics across Griffith University. A selection of facilitators below will be engaged for each cohort.

Professor Brendan Mackey

Professor Brendan Mackey is Director of the Griffith Climate Action Beacon, Griffith University. The Beacon seeks to develop the knowledge, leadership, capacity, and responses to enable effective and just climate action throughout society and focuses specifically on interdisciplinary research and cross-sectoral practice collaborations as catalysts for climate action. He is also Coordinating Lead Author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Chapter 11 – Australasia. He has a PhD in Ecology from The Australian National University and has authored over 250 publications in the fields of environmental science and policy.

Eleanor Ogston

Eleanor Ogston is Founder and CEO of Climate Jobs and Executive Director of Leading Roles. She is a sustainability and climate change professional with over 25 years of leadership experience across local government, consulting, and executive roles. Eleanor is the creator of Australia’s first local government Climate and Sustainability Capability Framework and leads initiatives that build workforce capability, leadership, and practical pathways for climate action. She holds a Master of Sustainable Systems from the University of Queensland and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Eleanor is also a Non-Executive Director of Green Cross Australia, supporting national efforts to build resilience and accelerate evidence-based action across communities, organisations, and government.

Dr Wade Hadwen

Dr Wade Hadwen is an ecologist with over 25 years of experience exploring how natural resources are used, valued, impacted and managed. He has experience and skills in projects in Australia and throughout the Indo-Pacific exploring the ecology of aquatic ecosystems, water resource management, sustainable tourism and climate change adaptation. Wade is a passionate and dedicated educator and has contributed to teaching at Griffith University since 2005, designing and delivering shorts courses along with postgraduate and undergraduate courses focusing on environmental science, climate change and sustainability.

Tracey Stinson

Tracey Stinson is an accomplished executive, board director and facilitator. She has held executive positions within local government and run her own successful management consulting business. She is currently the QLD Director, Policy and Impact with the Clean Energy Council, helping to drive the renewable energy transition in QLD. Tracey has a proven ability to respectfully challenge the status quo and assist organisations and teams to realign their strategic direction to plan for and manage risks and opportunities, particularly those associated with climate change. She has an MBA, a Graduate Certificate in Dispute Resolution, a Bachelor of Economics and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Donovan Burton

Donovan is the Director of Informed. City and is a highly experienced climate change practitioner with a diverse portfolio of experience. Over the past 18 years he has worked on over 350 climate change projects. Donovan has recently worked closely with clients in financial service sector developing climate integrated scenarios, quantifying transition and physical risk, mainstreaming climate change into core governance, as well as helping organisations with their climate-related financial disclosure. Donovan has carried out detailed climate change governance assessments with over 100 Australian local governments.

Doreen Erhart

Dorean’s 30-year career has successfully united systems and design thinking to deliver understanding of and responses to complex problems in managing climate change, the Great Barrier Reef, biodiversity conservation and invasive species management. She has designed nationally and internationally recognised programs and managed the successful delivery of multi-million dollar projects, including: Queensland Climate Resilient Councils; QCoast2100; Wipe Out Weeds; and SEQ Fire and Biodiversity Consortium (now statewide). Dorean led and co-authored training and guidance for climate risk practitioners, including the Climate Risk Management Framework for Queensland Local Government and guideline, the QCoast2100 Coastal Hazard Adaptation Strategy Minimum Standards and Guideline and the first nationally accredited climate risk management Certificate IV and skill set. Dorean Erhart is currently a director and lead climate risk management specialist at Linden Climate Advisory, a boutique company providing climate change risk management advisory and capability building services. She maintains advisory roles in Great Barrier Reef conservation management and climate change adaptation.