Building Bushfire Resilience in Australia

HEI are pleased to invite you to our in-person seminar about the Australian journey in building resilience in the aftermath of the devastating Black Summer bushfires. Come along to hear how we are tackling the protection of cultural and natural assets, capacity building in community and planning for the future.

Our three speakers, facilitated by Dr Alex Callen– Post-Doctoral researcher, University of Newcastle:

Speaker:  Justin Williams Manager, Biodiversity and Strategy, Forestry Corporation NSW

Fuel, Fire and Biodiversity Management in NSW State Forests

Bio: Justin is the Biodiversity and Strategy Manager for Forestry Corporation NSWs Hardwood Forest Division.  He has worked in forest management and forest ecology since he graduated with a Natural Resources degree in the Mid 90s.  Whilst working largely in land management, Justin has always worked closely with researchers on forestry issues, including on species such as large forest owls, gliders, quolls, Brush-tailed Phascogales, Sphagnum Frogs and Koalas as well as landscape scale forestry issues such as fire ecology, mechanical fuel load reduction, hollow-bearing trees and carbon sequestration.  Justin helped develop Forestry Corporations Fuel Management plans and forest health plans in 2017-18 prior to Black Summer.  During Black Summer he worked on fire grounds and in lead incident management roles for 4 months from the Queensland to Victorian borders inheriting and sharing fires with both states.  Recently Justin completed a 2.5 year secondment with the Biodiversity Conservation Trust developing the new Biodiversity Offset Payment Calculator and managing the BCTs offset program.

Speaker:  Richard Colbourne Team Leader Fire Hunter Central Coast Branch, NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS)

Fire management following the Black Summer Bushfires including cultural burning and Assets of Intergenerational Significance

Bio: Richard joined NPWS in 1992 where he commenced as a Field Officer in Garigal National Park on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Since then he has worked in various roles as Ranger, Project Officer, Area Manager and Team Leader on the North Coast, Hunter and Central Coast. His first big fire season was in 1994 in Sydney’s north and much of his time has been spent working with fire in Yengo National Park and more recently with the 2019-20 fires on the Mid-north Coast. He is currently Team Leader fire in Hunter Central Coast Branch based from Newcastle. Richard has a BSc. (Biology) from Macquarie University and a Dip. Business Mgt. from Hunter Institute of TAFE.

Speaker: Corey Shackleton – Principal Bushfire & Resilience, Blackash Bushfire Consulting

Experiences with rebuilding after major bushfires, community resilience, best practice and exposing the myths in bushfire assessment

Bio: Corey has over 18 years’ experience working in the bushfire and emergency services industry, including 14 years with the NSW Rural Fire Service.

Corey joined the NSW RFS in 2006 and held several roles before being promoted to Director Community Resilience in 2013. Corey also spent two years as Director Operational Mitigation Services where he was responsible for over 130 staff which included the State Mitigation crews as well as Remote Area Firefighting and Special Operations.

As the Director Community Resilience, with the NSW Rural Fire Service, Corey was responsible for the leadership, management and implementation of the NSW legislative planning framework for developments in bushfire prone areas, bushfire prone land mapping, environmental approvals, Neighbourhood Safer Places, bushfire risk management and community planning, Fire Danger Ratings, NSW bushfire mitigation grants and fire behaviour and predictive services. Corey has been responsible for significant advances in building capacity and resilience from bushfires at state and national levels.  Corey was also involved heavily in the rebuild efforts following the 2019/20 bushfires.

Event will be held in Room X320 on third floor of NUspace, University of Newcastle City Campus (map below).

Nibbles will be provided at our post-event drinks at The Clarendon which will be connected with Green Drinks.