David Hamilton brings a physicist's eye and decades of practical energy experience to Tasmania's climate debate. After a career as an occupational hygienist spanning government, consulting and the oil and gas industry, including senior roles with the Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists, David moved to Tasmania and worked for several years as an energy consultant, advising on energy efficiency, renewable energy and greenhouse gas reduction. (source)

Since 2013 he has chaired Dorset Renewable Industries Pty Ltd, and he also chairs the Dorset Renewable Co operative. Through this work he has become a strong advocate for community owned, locally driven renewable energy, arguing that small and medium sized businesses meeting local needs from local resources deliver more durable economic and social benefits than large, remotely headquartered ones. He sees Tasmania's energy transition as a genuine opportunity for communities to take back control of their own futures. (source)

David is a member of Climate Tasmania (source), a group of Tasmanian experts providing independent, authoritative advice to business, government and community leaders on climate change and policy, and has spoken publicly on the state's climate policy and emissions (source). In this talk, "Tasmania's Net Zero Fallacy," he turns his critical eye on the state's celebrated net zero claims, questioning how much of that status rests on genuine emissions reductions versus accounting quirks in the land use and forestry sector, and what that means for the honesty and urgency of Tasmania's climate response.