Who is Scott?

I'm a retired geologist, geostatistician and technical consultant, now living in the South Burnett.

For much of the later part of my career I worked on problems that sat at the intersection of geology, mining, processing, statistics, economics and decision-making. I wasn't usually the deepest expert in any one discipline. More often, my role was to understand how the pieces fitted together, where assumptions were being made, whether the evidence supported the conclusions, and how to explain complex issues in a way that helped people make better decisions.

Over the years I found myself drawn less to finding answers than to asking better questions.

I've published papers on geometallurgy, mine reconciliation and mining systems, along with articles on the JORC Code, statistics, human cognition, decision-making and, more recently, artificial intelligence. Looking back, they all explore much the same question: how do we know when the evidence is good enough to support an important decision?

That's the perspective I bring to the Glan Devon proposal.

I'm not trying to tell people what they should think. I'm trying to understand what is actually being proposed, what has been demonstrated, what assumptions are being relied upon, and where reasonable questions remain. If the evidence supports the proposal, that should become clear. If it doesn't, that should become clear as well.

Away from consulting, I'm an enthusiastic wildlife photographer. It may seem an odd connection, but photography has reinforced something I learned long ago: look carefully, pay attention to what is outside the frame as well as inside it, and don't mistake a compelling picture for the whole story.

Everything on this website is my own work and reflects my personal views. I'm not acting for any organisation or interest group. I'm also not a town planner, environmental engineer or lawyer, so nothing here should be taken as professional advice in those fields.