ASIA PACIFIC TODAY. Friday, December 18, 2020

A Catastrophic bushfire burnt more than half of Queensland's Fraser Island. Water bombing did not commence until a month after the fire started. Today We're joined by Cr George Seymour, Mayor of the Fraser Coast Regional Council for an update on the fire and damage to this World Heritage Listed island.

Cybersecurity is a hot issue in the US and globally. Businesses, small or large are targeted by often state sponsored cyber criminals, and the cost of protection can be huge. Blake Christian CPA joins us to discuss what small businesses should do.Blake, a national Top 25 OZ influencer, is a tax partner at HCVT LLP in Long Beach, California, and Park City, Utah.Blake has over 35 years of experience providing tax consulting and compliance services to clients that include multinational, publicly traded corporations, as well as closely held owner-managed businesses. He has specialized in federal, state and local tax incentive programs, and is leading the firm’s efforts in providing tax consulting services for Qualified Opportunity Zones (QOZs). Blake's industry experience is broad and includes manufacturing and distribution, service companies, restaurant, shipping and transportation, energy and health care.

Mike Young, Professor Emeritus, Energy, Water and Environmental Policy from the Centre for Global Food and Resources, University of Adelaide believes Australia has lost its way on Water Policy.

Professor Young holds a Research Chair in Water, Energy and Environmental Policy at the University of Adelaide and is the Founding Executive Director of its Environment Institute. He is a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, and a Distinguished Fellow of the Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society. He is an Honorary Professor at the University College London and a Research Fellow with Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions.

Mike Young is a member of the Global Water Partnership’s Technical Committee and was a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Water Security. He has won many awards including the Land and Water Australia Eureka Award for Water Research. His full curriculum vitae lists over 240 publications and he sits on numerous editorial boards. He holds degrees in economics and agricultural science.