Jason Van De Merwe South QLD Regional Representative
mikaela.nordborg@my.jcu.edu.au j.vandemerwe@griffith.edu.au
Marine Pollution Panel Event
SETAC Australasia, in conjunction with the Australian Marine Sciences Association (AMSA) South Queensland branch held a Marine Pollution Panel in Brisbane on May 13. Panel members included Professor Kathy Townsend, Dr Stuart Simpson and Dr Jason van de Merwe. Each speaker gave a 15 min presentation on marine pollution, followed by a lively discussion panel around marine pollution issues, and of course drinks, nibbles and networking. It was a great night, attended by about 40 people including many SETAC members.
ARITOX Research Group, Griffith University
The ARI-TOX Research Group at Griffith University has had another busy start to the year. Jason van de Merwe and Kimberly Finlayson have been working with the Sea World Foundation and the Queensland Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (and many other organisations) on assessing sea turtle health in Hervey Bay in response to the major flooding event at the beginning of 2022. In collaboration with the Sea World Foundation, they have also begun a comprehensive assessment on the health and toxicology of sea turtles foraging in Moreton Bay (https://youtube.com/shorts/Iev1S-MSeM8?si=xo2WoAXZWoagSJ6D).
Matt Johnson submitted his PhD “Ethical and high throughput cell-based alternatives for toxicity assessments of contaminated water”, and we welcomed Natalie Palmer as a new PhD candidate to our group. PhD candidates Taryn-Lee Perrior and Siobhan Houlihan presented their work on shark toxicology at the Oceania Chondrichthyan Society Conference in Mooloolabah. Kim Finlayson and Nat Palmer presented their work on chemical pollution in sea turtles and whales at the Australian Marine Sciences Association conference in Melbourne.
PhD candidate, Shritika Prakash, just completed her first field season assessing chemical pollution of sea turtles foraging in Fiji…a trip her supervisors (Kim Finlayson and Jason van de Merwe) had to help with of course.
Our other PhD candidates and Honours students have also been busy in the lab and field.
Tropical Ecotoxicology & Risk Assessment team, Australian Institute of Marine Science
The biggest news from the TERA team at the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) is a huge congratulations to Dr. Marie Thomas! Marie recently received her PhD from the University of Queensland (UQ) for her project ‘Quantifying the impacts of environmental stress on marine microbial communities’ in collaboration with researchers at AIMS. Marie’s thesis provides the first quantitative framework to derive water quality guideline values for coral reef microbial communities (applicable to both pollution and climate stressors), establishing a pathway for integrating microbial responses into environmental risk assessments. Marie will be presenting this exciting work at the SETAC AU & ACTRA conference in Wellington, NZ in the Identifying 'ecologically relevant endpoints' for microbial processes to inform Environmental Quality Guidelines and One Health approaches session.
If you want to read about Marie’s work then you can find her latest publication here: Development of a quantitative PMA-16S rRNA gene sequencing workflow for absolute abundance measurements of seawater microbial communities.
She is also looking for new and exciting research opportunities, so make sure you hit her up if you are looking for an excellent scientist with skills in eDNA, environmental monitoring & risk assessment, quantitative microbiology, and extensive experience in developing new methodologies!
Marie performing experimental work for her PhD project in the National Sea Simulator at AIMS Townsville
Dr Marie Thomas in a classic (but temporary) graduation hat, made by her friends and family in Europe
TropWATER, James Cook University
The TropWATER group has had a big year so far as a consequence of the record breaking wet season in Nth Qld. Our post wet sampling program was enormous with everyone in our team heading out north, west and south of Townsville on multiple sampling programs. The dry tropics landscape is looking phenomenal with groundcover remaining green well into the dry (or not so) dry season.
Shelley Templeman so far has not managed to successfully complete one monitoring program as both attempts had to be abandoned due to unseasonal rainfall at the project making sites inaccessible – fingers crossed for attempt 3 in a couple of weeks. Shelley has also been continuing rolling out a short course program on aquatic monitoring and sampling to indigenous groups as well as industry, government and other interested parties.
Sarah McDonald has been working across multiple groups including being engaged on some large projects on grazing land condition assessments in the Gulf of Carpentaria – so far no field trips but lots of project coordination. Sarah was also successful in getting a promotion to Academic Level B at the end of 2024 – congrats!
Julie Hanley had another successful trip to Kakadu National Park as part of a project with Andrew Harford, Lisa Chandler & Tom Mooney from DCCEEW. With so much water in the landscape of the ephemeral creeks in north and north-west Queensland, she has had a bounty of bugs to sort and identify for our projects. Meanwhile Chris has been buried in the laptop focussing on data analysis and report reporting to meet many of our reporting commitments.
January 2025 saw Martine Tande join us as a Masters student on a 12 month project. She is studying the effects of rubbervine (Cryptostegia grandiflora) sap on aquatic species. This major tropical riparian weed is highly toxic and is also enjoying the benefits of a good wet season!!! Be sure to try and catch both hers and Sarah’s presentations at SETAC-AU/ACTRA in Wellington in August.
Julie in the field
Impressive scenes crossing the Burdekin River at Sellheim in February following record rainfall
Outback sunrises never get old
In this Endpoint issue we showcase the exciting news from the team at NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) - Environment Protection Science
It has been a busy and exciting time for the Environment Protection Science (EPS) Branch at the NSW Government’s Science and Insights Division, DCCEEW. From new leadership to major project milestones and team updates, here’s a snapshot of what has been happening across the branch.
New Executive Director for the Science and Insights Division!
We’re excited to welcome Mark Patrick Taylor as the new Executive Director of the Science and Insights Division. Mark, who started with the division in June 2025, was previously the Victorian EPAs Chief Environmental Scientist and prior to that was Professor of Environmental Science and Human Health at Macquarie University, where he remains an honorary Professor. It goes without saying Mark has extensive expertise in environmental contamination and its impacts on ecological and human health and we look forward to tapping into that expertise. Welcome Mark!
Photo – Top: Chemical Forensics Team Leader Yarong Li showing Mark Taylor and Alison Pepper (Deputy Secretary, DCCEEW Strategic Policy, Science and Engagement Group) environmental samples. Bottom: Mark Taylor, Alison Pepper and Aleksandr Render with EPS staff Chris Doyle (Senior Team Leader – Environmental Forensics), Megan Gillmore (Team Leader - Ecotoxicology), Danielle Hill, Yarong Li and Janina Beyer and a Dwarf Mountain Pine Specimen from the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah.
An update from the Environmental Forensics Team
Meet Our New Team Member!
We're pleased to welcome Tim Remaili as Senior Scientist – Ecotoxicology. With over 7 years of experience at NSW DCCEEW and diverse expertise in aquatic contaminant and stressor biogeochemistry and ecotoxicology, Tim is a valuable addition to the team. He also retains his title as Research Scientist under the NSW Government classification. Photo – Dr Tim Remaili on his recent trip to Rotorua, New Zealand.
A New Arrival Coming Soon!
We’re thrilled to share that Megan Gillmore, Team Leader - Ecotoxicology, will be starting her maternity leave at the beginning of September. We wish Megan all the very best as she embarks on this wonderful new journey, and we look forward to welcoming her back – no doubt with many stories of her new adventures!
Project Highlights and Updates
$490K Boost to Tackle Microplastics in Soil and Waste
The Environmental Forensics team has been awarded $490,000 through the NSW EPA Plastic Research Program to develop best-practice methods for sampling and analysing microplastics in soil, compost, and treated sewage. This project is one of three funded under the NSW Plastics Action Plan, with a total of $1.25 million announced by NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe. This work builds on earlier research that created a new way to measure microplastics in environmental samples, published in Environmental Science & Technology and cited in over 900 scientific papers. Led by Matthew Jacobs, the new project will work with CSIRO to test reliable, scalable methods for analysing microplastics and to improve monitoring and risk assessments. Stay tuned for updates as this important work progresses!
Signs of Sediment Recovery in Lake Macquarie
A recent study by the Environmental Forensics team for the NSW EPA has found that metal levels in the southern end of Lake Macquarie are on the decline and are expected to keep improving. Led by Megan Gillmore, the team checked water and sediment quality and found most metal concentrations were below guideline values and much lower than in past studies. There was no evidence that nearby coal-fired power stations or ash dams were impacting contaminant levels or harming benthic invertebrates, which are key indicators of sediment health. Find further information on NSW EPA’s website. Photo – Megan Gillmore sampling sediments at Lake Macquarie, NSW.
Tracking the Hidden Pests in Our Rivers
We’ve been ramping up our use of passive samplers and grab samples to track pesticides and pharmaceuticals in NSW waterways and understand their risks to aquatic life. This includes monitoring rivers in the Northern Rivers region (Richmond, Tweed, Brunswick, Clarence, Bellinger, Manning), the Coffs Harbour catchments, Lake Illawarra, and the Darling Baaka River. We’re also looking at potential risks of pesticides to turtles and, with the DCCEEW Water, Wetland and Coastal Science branch, studying how floods and events like Tropical Cyclone Alfred have impacted pesticide concentrations in these rivers. Photo – Passive samplers being deployed in the Northern Rivers region, NSW.
Tracking Water Quality to Save the Dwarf Mountain Pine
We’ve kicked off an exciting project with Macquarie University (with Anthony Chariton) and DCCEEW Saving Our Species program to help protect the Blue Mountains Dwarf Mountain Pine (Pherosphaera fitzgeraldii), one of the world’s oldest plants. This rare conifer is only found on cliff faces in waterfall spray zones of the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, making it vulnerable to changes in water quality, climate, and flow regimes. For the first stage of the project, we are conducting a complementary grab water sampling and passive sampling program to detect a broad range of potential contaminants present within three highly urbanised catchments and two reference catchments. Stay tuned as we work to secure the future of this remarkable ancient species. Photos – Top: Loc Hill deploying passive samplers in the Blue Mountains, NSW. Bottom: Dwarf Mountain Pine observed during fieldwork.
An update from the Contaminants and Risk Team
Since our last newsletter update, the Contaminants and Risk (C&R) Team has undergone a complete staff transition. We recently farewelled founding team member Keith Osborne (see a tribute below), and it has now been two years since Jennifer Braeunig took over as team leader after we farewelled Kate Langdon. Currently, Cameron Jennings is filling in as team leader while Jennifer is on parental leave. The team now consists of Senior Scientists Armin Kavehei, Jessica Booth, Laura Stapp, and Olivia King. Janina Beyer continues to play a pivotal advisory role, providing strategic and technical leadership through her broader position/s within the EPS branch.
The new look C&R Team offer a diverse technical skill set, including: human health and ecological risk assessments, deriving dietary advice for contaminant exposure, evaluation of contaminant levels against relevant thresholds, site-specific investigation level calculations, modelling of contaminant fate and transport, assessment of emerging contaminants and remediation strategies, environmental data interpretation and statistical analysis, and full-cycle design and implementation of environmental monitoring projects.
Project Highlights and Updates
A major milestone for the team was its contribution to the development of the third version of the PFAS National Environmental Management Plan (NEMP 3.0). Both past and present members played significant roles through their involvement in the National Chemicals Working Group, drafting technical content, and assisting in the development of guideline values. The C&R team remains actively engaged in ensuring guidance reflects current science and supports best practices in PFAS management.
Retirement of Keith Osborne
After an outstanding career spanning more than 30 years in environmental science, Keith Osborne retired from the NSW public service on Thursday, 3 July 2025. Keith has been an integral part of EPS at DCCEEW and the NSW EPA, bringing deep expertise, dedication, and mentorship to generations of colleagues. His many contributions include:
The EPS Branch, on behalf of DCCEEW, wishes Keith all the best in retirement and thanks him for his decades of dedicated service.
Stay Connected
If you would like to learn more about any of these initiatives or explore collaboration opportunities, please get in touch with us.
Just like last year, this year has appeared to have got away from us as quite a few of us have been busy on the local organising committee for SETAC AU / ACTRA 2025 (more on that later). If you are keen to present your work to SETAC NZ or wish to play swapsies for your own catch-up purposes, let us know ????
Environmental Protection Authority (EPA)
The EPA’s toxicologists, environmental fate scientists, and ecotoxicologists continue to work through our hazard substances applications and reassessments programmes.
Over the past months we have been busy with the following:
Senior Advisor Reassessments - Ecotoxicology Job Details Come work with some awesome technical experts (and me) to protect Aotearoa New Zealand’s unique environment!
Have your say on application for new fungicide
EPA seeks feedback about new weedkiller for wheat and barley crops
EPA approves new crop protection tool
EPA approves new turf herbicide
EPA tightens rules to keep weedkiller out of compost
Chlorpyrifos reassessment | EPA
Agricultural and horticultural review presents opportunities
Law changes will streamline applications for new chemicals
Regulation reform to enable growth and manage environmental risk
Our technical staff have also taken the opportunity to deliver guest lectures for students at the Victoria University of Wellington, and have attended workshops with the APVMA on risk assessment processes, on Uncrewed Aerial Spray Systems at Scion Research (well, online as our flights got diverted ☹) and the management of marine pests at the Cawthron Institute.
Dr Lauren Fleury our hazardous substances application manager, represented the EPA’s regulatory expertise at the recent State of the Science Summit hosted at UC Davis CLEAR Center.
Dr Peter Dawson and Nikki McKenzie were part of the New Zealand delegation at the Conference of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm conventions in Geneva, Switzerland – where global action for a safer, cleaner planet takes centre stage.
In his role as Chair of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC) under the Stockholm Convention, Dr Peter Dawson, our hazardous substances principal scientist, participated in a side event last week at the above conference.
Dr Joanna Dowle, Senior Advisor, Hazardous Substances Reassessments, presented to WasteMINZ on lead and its impacts on the environment and health.
Australian Antarctic Division - Catherine King (cath.king@aad.gov.au)
After a huge field season in the summer of 24/25 for our team, with research conducted across various locations in East Antarctica, including Mawson station, Casey Station and the Bunger Hills, we are now very much focused on the analysis of a multitude of samples generated from our season south. These include 1000s of physical samples of soils, sediments, water and biota, as well as images of vegetation and nearshore communities, and drone footage covering 10s of kilometres of ice-free areas in East Antarctica.
Research at Mawson station under our “A Cleaner Antarctica (ACA)” and “Biodiversity of East Antarctica: Underwater and Terrestrial (BEAUT)” Projects involved the completion of biodiversity surveys and a comprehensive contaminated site environmental risk assessment. Our team of three including Catherine King, Kathryn Brown and Gwilym Price worked on biodiversity assessments across both marine and terrestrial environments, assessing potential impacts and risk of contaminants from legacy and contemporary human activities on ecological communities in soils, lakes, and nearshore marine waters and sediments. Our particular focus was on the impacts of past waste management practices, including open tips and burning, as well as the practice of ‘sea-icing’. We also investigated contemporary waste management efforts including the efficacy and potential impact of current wastewater discharges and ongoing risks to nearshore marine communities.
Remediation works also continued at our legacy fuel spill sites at Casey station last season. Following from this, back here in Kingston, we are in the midst of laboratory work, using Direct Toxicity Assessments (DTAs) to determine the toxicity of contaminated soils in treated biopiles from Casey station, after years of bioremediation efforts. Results from DTAs, along with chemical data and additional lines of evidence, will be used to determine the efficacy of remediation and the potential for soil reuse on site this upcoming season. Toxicity assessments are being conducted with a range of local Antarctic microinvertebrates including 3 rotifers and 1 nematode. While this work has yet to be completed, it is anticipated that level of contaminants in some of our oldest treated biopiles may be at levels low enough to no longer pose significant risks to ecological communities, and as such can be utilised on station as the basis for building foundations or in road construction, within our existing infrastructure footprint.
We look forward to seeing many of you at the conference in Wellington where we will be presenting some of this research and seeking further collaboration on our research objectives under the ACA Project.
Ecotox team conducting DTAs
Elutriate preparations for DTAs
Rotifer Adineta (L) and Nematode Plectus murrayi (R)
The WA branch held a mid-year gathering at the Indian Ocean Marine Research Institute on the 13th June, to catch up and chat ecotox. This time we had a special guest Joe Thorley from Poisson Consulting (Canada), the developer of ssdtools which is soon to replace Burrlioz in the ANZG guideline derivation methodology. Joe and Rebecca gave a presentation explaining recent technical advances in statistical methods that are some of the key updates in the soon to be released Warne et al. 2025 revision.
AIMS Perth has commissioned a new mercury analyser – a Milestone DMA80. The instrument offers high throughput of solid samples (like sediments and biota tissue). In the first instance Darren will be making the most of the diverse samples collected by AIMS researchers investigating blue carbon, marine megafauna, and benthic biodiversity. The DMA80 will also support a growing research collaboration with ANSTO and La Trobe University.