Tim Fisher.
When Tim Fisher walked into the ACF offices for the first time 14 years ago, he was in his twenties, had a job title he didn't really understand and a passion to contribute to saving the environment. "It was a shocking title: Victorian Agency Liaison Officer," laughs Fisher. "It was funded by some private donors who were concerned about the directions in the Department of Conservation and Environment, as it was known at the time, and the role was essentially to protect the integrity of the environmental programs."THIS YEAR ACF SAID GOOD BYE to Tim Fisher, who left the role of Land and Water Campaigner to concentrate on new environmental issues at the EPA. In many ways, Tim Fisher has helped shape ACF, and ACF shape Tim Fisher.
"My passion had always been environment since I was very small, and I saw ACF as a great opportunity to try to make a difference," remembers Fisher. "But the more I became involved in the conservation movement, the more of an understanding I gained of the political processes and social change--the seriously complex dynamics."
Fisher is the first to admit that the land and water issues that he has devoted his career to haven't captured the imagination of the media, but stresses they were and still are vital. "When I started at ACF there were campaigns that were much more in the public eye, like forest protection, but there was a lot of other stuff that wasn't being discussed, like farming, like biodiversity. I always saw environmental issues in a general sense."
Over the years Fisher matured professionally, and so too did ACF, moving away from a largely adversarial to a more collaborative approach to environmental conservation. "ACF have done more than just protect certain areas" he says. "Everyone thinks of wins like the Franklin, but very few campaigns are fought and won on an all or nothing basis. Real change is about how you can recruit and develop different interests around an issue, to all work largely on the one issue."
Fisher cites the closure of the Jabiluka mine in 2004 as an example. "Various people, including ACF, worked on it for a long time, and came together to put up enough obstacles to achieve an outcome.
"There have been several times when ACF have worked with the National Farmers Federation on big changes, including the National Water Initiative. These were areas where we had enough common interests to want to work together, and had enough of a sense of what was really important to put aside some areas where we may have otherwise disagreed."
As ACF's campaigning techniques have become more sophisticated, Fisher says the organisation will have to continue learning and looking for new solutions, particularly on the issue of climate change. "It's something that is not easy to assign responsibility to, whether it's local, state, national--you can't assign responsibility to one particular group, so you can't make one particular group accountable."
Tim's legacy at ACF extends beyond environmental reforms. In recent years he built up a small but strong team of land and water campaigners--the "Mud Team'--to whom he acted as mentor as much as manager. Team member Corey Watts says that ACF's strong and credible voice, particularly in rural Australia, owes much to this tall and, until very recently, long-haired greenie from the city."
Tim Fisher has moved on, but he says he will always cherish his time at ACF. "I got to see amazing parts of the country, from the Murray Darling Basin to the Kimberley, and experience all sorts of fantastic things. ACF is an incredible organisation. It's built on so little, but it does so much."
"Tim's tireless efforts and willingness to explore arguments from all sides have made a significant contribution to the future of Australia's economy and the quality of the environment upon which this economy depends. "
Mike Young, Director, Policy and Economic Research Unit, CSIRO Land and Water
"NFF has enjoyed working with Tim and I want to acknowledge his contribution to getting the National Water Initiative over the line in 2004."
Peter Corish, President, National Farmers' Federation
"Tim has made a profound impact on the way that we think about our rivers and the policies put in place to manage them. It is a privilege to know Tim and working with him has been inspiring and rewarding. "
Leith Boully, Landholder and Chair, Community Advisory Council to the Murray-Darling Basin Commission
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| Title Annotation: | ACF MEMBER PROFILE |
|---|---|
| Publication: | Habitat Australia |
| Article Type: | Interview |
| Geographic Code: | 8AUST |
| Date: | Apr 1, 2005 |
| Words: | 741 |
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