The Organising Committee extends a warm welcome to radiation protection professionals and enthusiasts to attend the 37th Annual Conference of the Australasian Radiation Protection Society (ARPS). This is the premier forum for the presentation and exchange of topical ideas on radiation protection in Australasia. The conference will be held in Sydney from Sunday 14 October to Wednesday 17 October 2012 at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour.

The conference aims to be an informative and enjoyable event that will focus on the conference theme of ‘Bridging the Gap’. Planning, Practice and Response are 3 key activities that are undertaken to ensure radiation protection programs are successful during their development and implementation. There is a gap between making a plan and responding to that plan. In bridging that gap, we practise our skills and response, and feedback the results into the plan.

There is a gap between exposure levels that are known to be harmful, “actual risk”, and the safety margins adopted in standards. There is a further gap between standards and the publicly “perceived risk” of radiation. We are also confronted by a gap between the available positions for radiation protection professionals in Australasia and the limited number of people entering the profession at schools and universities.

How do we go about bridging the gaps that confront the radiation protection profession? This question, and other topics, will be explored in detail by a number of interesting speakers.

The 37th ARPS Conference is an important professional forum for the Australasian radiation protection community to meet and exchange ideas, enhance their understanding of current issues and discuss the challenges that confront society and the profession. We urge you to join us in Sydney and to maximise your benefit by taking an active role in the conference by presenting a paper or poster.

We look forward to seeing you in Sydney.

Cameron Jeffries
37th ARPS Conference Convenor

Conference Organising Committee

2012 Convenor – Cameron Jeffries, St Vincent’s Health Network
Mark Alexander, ANSTO
Bill Bartolo, Bartolo Safety Management Service
Robert Blackley, ANSTO
Helfin Griffiths, ANSTO
Don Higson, Retired
Alison Parkes, ANSTO
Brent Rogers, Prince of Wales Hospital
Ron Rubendra, Immediate Past President, ARPS
Kathryn Taylor, Taylor Radiation Protection
Yvette Wilson, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead