Dr. Simon Dawkins

Simon Dawkins B.Ec., Dip.Ed., M.Phil. PhD., FAICD,
Dr Simon Dawkins is an economist with expertise in climate change and energy, agroforestry and a background in economic and social policy and the cultural industries. In this latter role he headed up two major Performing Arts Centres in Canberra and Perth.
Simon has held senior executive positions in the Commonwealth, ACT and WA Governments. He has been a Director in the WA Department of Premier and Cabinet on two occasions. From an early stage of climate change policy he led investigations of policies on Emissions Trading and Climate Change and advised the Minister on development of the WA Carbon Rights legislation, one of the first such legislated carbon policies in Australia. He has attended several UN climate change conferences including on the official Australian delegation.
He was a co founder in 2007 of EcoCarbon Inc, a think tank on emissions trading while a member of staff at the Australian Centre for Renewable Energy at Murdoch University. EcoCarbon acquired UNFCCC status and attracted support from major resource companies to develop an emissions trading simulation program designed by the Commonwealth Bank. This program was presented at many conferences and when first presented in Perth attracted significant international participation.
Simon then managed the Oil Mallee Association of Australia and the Oil Mallee Company of Australia (a joint venture with CO2 Australia). The OMA attracted 1000 WA Wheatbelt farmers to establish plantations of mallee eucalypts into their cropping programs to combat salinity, provide other ecosystem services along with an expectation of achieving carbon offsets and bioenergy for regional industries to follow.
He was elected by graduates to the University of Western Australia Senate where he played an active role in the key Strategic Resources Committee for 11 years.
QUALIFICATIONS
• Bachelor of Economics (University of Western Australia)
• Graduate Diploma of Education (Canberra College of Advanced Education
• Master of Philosophy (City University, London)
• Fellow of Australian Institute of Company Directors (FAICD)
• CEMI Program at UWA Business School – Commercialisation and Innovation
• PhD, Curtin University, Submitted August 2020, graduated May 2021. Dawkins(2020) ‘The Sustainability of Carbon Mitigation in Dryland Farming Systems: The Oil Mallee Case Study’