Winds Of Change Are Gathering Power

The Age

Saturday June 16, 2007

Marcella Bidinost

Dominique La Fontaine is chief executive of Auswind, the Australian Wind Energy Association.

I'VE always loved being outdoors.

Growing up, I loved biology, evolution, natural history, David Attenborough - everything about the world around me. After finishing my HSC in 1982, I studied applied biology at RMIT, which included physics and chemistry, subjects I didn't do well at, so I dropped out after six months and sold Spode china at David Jones. I did really well at it, probably because I'd done lots of customer service bar work and waitressing, which I recommend anybody do - it's the best grounding for dealing with people.

I knew I wanted to do something more, so I returned to study applied science at Rusden (now Deakin) and in 1984 was among the first to do its threeyear environmental assessment and land use policy course. The idea was to train people in science to become communicators and policy makers.

I chose economics as an elective to get an idea of the business world, then landed graduate work in marketing for Applied Chemicals before, at age 24, taking on a start-up position as Victorian co-ordinator for the Forest Protection Society (now Timber Communities Australia), with the role of setting up branches in rural Victoria. I worked with people in regional areas who depend on the forest industry to promote its interests to governments.

After three years I decided to go into business on my own as a consultant. My major client was Timber Towns Victoria, a collection of Victorian local governments who see the forestry industry as important to the economy of their municipalities and who want to ensure its benefits aren't forgotten in policy.

A few years later I worked for the Municipal Association of Victoria as a senior rural policy adviser, and also for the Victorian Chamber of Mines.

From 2004, I travelled for 14 months around Australia with my husband and three kids in a caravan. On the way back ... I spotted the Auswind position advertised so I flew down to Melbourne from Airlie Beach for the interview and got the job, largely thanks to my experience in industry advocacy, policy, stakeholder engagement and understanding how important that is.

I've learned a lot in the past 21?2 years here. It's a complex industry, very "sciencey" and tech, but it's important to communicate its value to policy makers, media and the general public.

With world-class resources, the wind industry in Australia has a very strong future ... The public is coming to understand that we have to reduce emissions from the stationary energy sector because it contributes half Australia's emissions.

This means the development of the clean energy sector is inevitable. -- MARCELLA BIDINOST

© 2007 The Age

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