AI in Stormwater: Risks, Rights & Real-World Value
This panel explores how artificial intelligence is influencing stormwater modelling, planning, design, asset management, and governance. It brings together a technology lawyer, a hydraulic modeller, a data security expert and a council/authority representative and to examine risks, rights, and practical value as AI tools become embedded in engineering workflows. The session aims to demystify AI, clarify legal and professional responsibilities, and provide practical guidance for councils, consultants, and authorities considering or already using AI-driven tools
Moderator
Alice Lisitsa
President, Stormwater Victoria
Alice is a flooding and hydraulics expert with over 15 years of experience in water engineering and hydrology. She is a chartered engineer with a double degree in Civil Engineering and Science (BE/BSC) and also has a Masters of Engineering Science, by Research focusing on biofiltration and Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) more broadly. In Recent years, Alice has worked predominantly in flood management, having had led flooding teams on several infrastructure projects across MRPV and LXRP as well as in land development.
Alice has extensive experience in tertiary education, teaching and lecturing at Monash University and LaTrobe University, among others. Alice is the current President of Stormwater Victoria and has been involved in the committee for the past 7 years supporting the Policy and Advocacy goals of the association within the industry.
Panellists
David Moret
Prinicipal Engineer, DPM Consulting Group Pty Ltd
David Moret is the Principal Water Resources Engineer at DPM Civil Engineering, where he leads a growing team specialising in stormwater management, flood modelling, and integrated water design. With extensive experience in hydraulic and hydrologic modelling for land development across Victoria and Queensland, he has delivered complex drainage strategies, flood assessments, and infrastructure solutions for both private and public sector clients.
David has a strong interest in the application of emerging technologies within engineering, particularly the integration of artificial intelligence into hydraulic modelling workflows. He
is the author of AI for Water: How Artificial Intelligence Is Transforming Engineering, Hydrology, and Hydraulics, which focuses on practical, real-world applications of AI in the water industry.
David Lisitsa
Director, Newlaw.com
David Lisitsa is a Director and Solicitor at Newlaw, a legal technology consultancy helping firms across Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States leverage technology and legal operations for competitive edge. The ultimate generalist, David moves fluently between law, AI strategy, data, cyber security and operations — translating across disciplines that rarely sit in the same room. He helps clients identify high-value AI use cases, drive efficiency through smart adoption, and put the governance frameworks in place to use AI safely and prevent breaches before they happen. David joins the 2026 Stormwater Victoria Conference panel to bring this cross-disciplinary perspective to the sector's emerging conversation on AI.
Matthew O'Brien
Environmental Consultant & founder, AI for Enviros
Matthew O’Brien is an environmental scientist with over 20 years’ experience in environmental monitoring, data systems and water management. His work focuses on the intersection of environmental science, monitoring technology and emerging digital tools, helping organisations improve how environmental information is collected and used for decision making. Through his consultancy AI for Enviros, Matthew collaborates with councils, researchers and technology partners to explore practical applications of artificial intelligence in environmental monitoring. Recent work includes co-developing a camera based monitoring system that continuously observes stormwater infrastructure and waterways, automatically identifying visible pollution events and sending alerts to support faster environmental response.
Panel Session: Managing the impacts of urban growth and planning reform on the delivery of IWM outcomes – a land use planning perspective
Victoria is growing, with current shortfalls in housing supply and a significant need to build more homes in the decades ahead. The Victorian Government’s Housing Statement and Plan for Victoria outline strategic actions to address housing affordability and increase housing supply across the state, with significant action in planning reform to increase the efficiency of the development approvals and building process.
Significant action has already been taken in some areas, including broad reform to the Victorian Planning Provisions in 2025 and additional reform expected in 2026. The most significant outcome includes the replacement of the existing performance-based approach with deemed to comply standards, with other changes to activity centre planning and progress towards the integration of flow targets in planning.
This panel will consider the challenges associated with recent planning reform and discuss practical approaches in land use planning and across other regulatory mechanisms that can be taken to increase the delivery of stormwater management outcomes in urban development.
Moderator
Caroline Chandler
Senior Principal Scientist, E2DesignLab, a Water Technology Company
Caroline has over 20 years’ experience in the water and sustainability sectors in Australia and Peru, with extensive experience in sustainability leadership in local government. Caroline has developed capabilities across a number of areas including water policy development and implementation, integration of IWM in land use planning, project management, local and regional stakeholder engagement, water sector capacity building, and project evaluation in the context of competing council
interests.
Panellists
Jane Keddie
Director, Urban Planning, Hansen Partnership
Jane is Director of Hansen’s strategic planning team and works regularly on a wide range of projects across planning and design, working collaboratively both internally and externally to deliver large and complex projects.
Her commitment to improving planning’s responses to climate change are acknowledged by award wins and the intersection of climate resilience and planning systems is a key focus of her work. She also has a passion for Victoria’s regions and has worked extensively across the state. She regularly supports reviews of policy and has provided expert evidence at Planning Panels Victoria.
Jane’s strengths lie in system thinking and in the communication of complex planning concepts to a broad range of stakeholders. She is regularly sought out for her facilitation skills and willingness to do things differently to find the right solution for her clients. Jane has chaired and facilitated numerous forums, roundtables, conference sessions and industry briefings. She has given evidence at both state and federal government inquiries and she regularly provides advocacy and commentary, particularly around issues related to climate change. She sits on the program advisory board for Monash University’s planning degree and is the current Vice-President of the Planning Institute of Australia (Victorian division).
Shannon Best
Council Alliance for Sustainable Built Environment (CASBE)
Shannon Best is the BESS Manager for the Council Alliance for a Sustainable Built Environment (CASBE), hosted by the Municipal Association of Victoria. He oversees the strategic development,
governance and sector engagement for the Built Environment Sustainability Scorecard (BESS), supporting councils across Victoria to deliver consistent, measurable sustainability outcomes through the planning system.
Working in and with local government for much of his career, Shannon focuses on embedding sustainability into infrastructure and buildings at every stage of the lifecycle—from early
planning and design through to delivery, operation and long‑term performance. His work
sits at the intersection of planning, sustainability and urban water management, helping integrate energy, water, stormwater and broader ESD standards into new developments.
He collaborates closely with councils, industry and state partners to strengthen climate resilience, green infrastructure and water‑sensitive urban design across the built environment. With a background in sustainability consulting and environmental design, Shannon brings a systems based mindset and a talent for building alliances across sectors. He’s recognised for his clear
vision and his passion for lifting the sustainability performance of Victoria’s built environment—project by project, policy by policy.
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Key Dates
Call for Abstracts Closes
Friday, 9 January 2026
Early Bird Registration Closes
Friday, 20 March 2026
Standard Registration Closes
Monday, 25 May 2026
Workshops
Monday 1 June 2026
Conference Dates
Tuesday 2 - Wednesday 3 June 2026
Technical Tour
Thursday 4 June 2026
Conference Secretariat
GEMS Event Management Australia
ABN 30 615 654 629
Contact us
For all registration and accommodation inquiries call 02 9744 5252 or email registration@gemsevents.com.au
