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Geoff Latimer

Manager Operations Systems
Environment Protection Authority, Victoria

Bachelor of Applied Science

"Working for EPA is rewarding, because of the important role we play in facilitating the improvement of Victoria's environment."

After 11 years in the environmental field as chemist and business manager of various commercial environmental laboratories around Australia, I joined EPA Victoria. My role was of Project Manager for the National Pollutant Inventory (NPI) a national program that collects pollutant emissions information from both industry point and diffuse sources, and reports this annually in the form of a GIS-based interactive database on the Internet. I took on my current role at EPA in 2001, managing a business unit that supports database applications and systems used in implementing the Environment Protection Act; specifically prescribed waste, NPI, litter, motor vehicle offences and internal activities.

The diversity of program areas of this role provides challenges. Public reporting of litter offences and smoky vehicle exhausts brings with it a range of emotions from both the spotters of the offence and those being "dobbed in."

Our new web application for tracking hazardous waste transport and treatment involves a massive waste industry education program. It includes management of electronic data reporting from over 2000 NPI reporting sites in Australia, which is logistically and technically challenging.

Above all, management of a team of 15 people provides its own set of human resourcing challenges. Working for the EPA is rewarding because of the important role we play in facilitating the improvement of Victoria's environment. This belief in what we are doing resonates across the organisation.

More personally, I enjoy the variety of projects available; the linkages with other state environment agencies and the Commonwealth, and seeing the results of successful IT development projects.

University was an interesting and enjoyable time, which taught me not only a range of practical technical skills but also gave me an opportunity to test and ultimately believe in my own abilities. The practicality of the applied science stream was recognised well by employers upon graduating as finding a job allowed me the luxury of choices.