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Lake Eyre — without a hint of butcher's paper

For tyranny of distance, few face a bigger challenge than the members of the Lake Eyre Basin Community Advisory Committee. They represent a huge region: few people realise that it encompasses one sixth of the Australian land mass (it is one of the largest internal drainage systems on this planet), stretching from near the Gulf of Carpentaria almost to Adelaide.

The 2008 Biennial Lake Eyre Basin Conference brought together delegates from across the country and from all walks of life. Graziers mixed with miners, aboriginals with townsfolk, scientists with cattlemen: a very diverse group, reflecting the diversity of the 1.14 square million kilometre basin. The 50 delegates met at Longreach, near the Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame, to make recommendations for action in the Lake Eyre Basin for the next five years.

To cover as much ground as possible in the time available and to document discussions across five broad streams, the conference dispensed with butcher's paper and entered contributions directly into a networked computer system, the iMEET! platform, which, along with Global Learning facilitators, was engaged for the event.

After identifying and capturing a wide range of issues, delegates sorted and prioritised discussion points, and these became the foundations of each recommendation. More than thirty recommendations were presented at the culmination of the conference, supported by the initial groundwork and deliberations — also documented in detail by the iMEET! system.

Even in this legendary outback town, iMEET!'s high-tech approach to documenting proceedings was welcomed by delegates — from indigenous members to government officers from four States, from graziers to local townsfolk. Their comments included:

"[iMEET! was...] excellent and so much better than the butcher paper mode! Really liked the way it brought everyone into the discussions and allowed us all to comment on the subjects effectively and efficiently."

"iMEET! provided a relatively user-friendly approach to capture all views during group discussions. Also impressed with the capacity to then sort, prioritise and re-generate information to allow more focussed discussions."

"This technology made it one of the most effective working sessions I have participated in."

"I gained an enormous amount out of the conference in terms of information, contacts and much greater understanding about the issues confronting the Lake Eyre Basin."