Prof Alan Pears

Challenges for consumers and government: Victoria’s retail electricity and gas markets

In November 2016, the Victorian Government announced an independent bi-partisan review of Victoria's electricity and gas retail markets, to examine the operation of the Victorian electricity and gas retail markets and provide options to improve outcomes for consumers. On 26 May 2017 the panel presented its preliminary findings to the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change. The final report will be presented to the Government in late July 2017. As a highly respected expert on the subject of sustainable energy supply, Mr Alan Pears was a key contributor to the review.

Alan has worked in the sustainable energy and environment fields since the late 1970s for community groups, government and the private sector.

While working for the Victorian government in the 1980s, he helped develop and implement programs such as the Home Energy Advisory Service, public information and education, appliance energy labelling and mandatory building insulation regulations.

Since 1991, Alan has been an environmental consultant, and has been involved in building energy and environmental rating and regulation, green building projects, educational software, green appliance development, industrial and business energy and environmental management, and policy analysis in Australia and, more recently, the Asia-Pacific region.

Alan is a highly regarded analyst, consultant and commentator on sustainable energy and climate policy, and has written or peer reviewed many articles in specialist media such as The Conversation, Energy Policyand ReNew magazine, as well as other academic journals, chapters of books and major reports.

Alan was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2009 for his contribution to environmental and energy policy. He has also received a number of awards from industry associations and RMIT media awards.

Husna Pasha

Bridging the Gap between Humans by creating Happier People

Husna Pasha is a Melbourne-based Business Women, Author, Media Personality and Public Speaker. She's funny, smart, brave, honest and outspoken and she's attracting bigger and bigger audiences to her great mission in life.......to create happier people! Husna gave an enthralling talk about her background and her mission to bridge the gap between people, by empowerment through entertainment.

Speaking of her early years growing up in a country town in Tasmania as a very “different” Muslim Indian Australian, raised by her hard-working professional parents, Husna provided insight to the challenges reconciling the expectations of her more traditional heritage with the pursuit of happiness and her own personal growth.  Now as a mother of two, a wife and a Muslim woman with a passion to engage communities and reduce the gap between them, she embodies the true face of modern Australian life and culture - globally connected, non-white, female, educated, experienced and aspirational.

After becoming a Guest Host on The Project and appearing numerous times in the media due to an initiative called ‘Speed date a Muslim,’ Husna has successfully raised her profile and is now speaking at many events to motivate and inspire people to take the right step forward in their lives. She started her own live-on-stage talk show in 2015 with the aim of empowering people through entertainment. The show has already been very successful with a full house on each occasion, leaving her audience feeling inspired and engaged. The shows have raised funds for suicide prevention, something that Husna is especially passionate about both at work and personally.

As a result of this success, Husna been approached by ABC Compass to do a documentary on her life and talk show which will be aired at 6pm on September 30th 2017.

Rotary Central Melbourne has a long-standing relationship with the International House, a college of the University of Melbourne providing student accommodation, primarily for international students.  A key part of this relationship is the RCM sponsorship of the annual Fraternitas Award.  This Award, voted on by the International House residents, recognises the contribution to the student body of a final-year student.  It is a most prestigious award with the winner being held in high regard by both students and staff.  This year the Fraternitas Award went to Sarah Quek.  Sarah, a commerce student from Singapore, was presented with the Award by President Frank at our Meeting on October 24.  Our congratulation to Sarah, we wish he well for the future.