Response, Recovery & Resilience – The Role of Impact Driven Universities in Natural Disaster Management

Organizer: Belinda Wade
Format: Onsite-Online, Afternoon

Abstract:
The recent events of the 2020 Australian Bushfires and the outbreak of COVID-19 have highlighted the need for rapid, authoritative advice in the case of crisis. Universities are uniquely positioned to harness capabilities from multiple disciplines enabling individuals skilled in technical and management areas to contribute to response, recovery and resilience. Events such as the Australian bushfires and floods have had catastrophic impacts on communities, native species, natural ecosystems and our economy. The question needs to be asked whether a reoccurrence of these situations is inevitable, could it be foreseen, and could steps be taken to avoid such catastrophic events in the future? The panel discussion will include individuals from across the university sector and beyond with experience providing proactive leadership in crisis events. These individuals will discuss their experience while highlighting potential opportunities to both lead response and build resilience to an increasingly uncertain future.

Themes: Knowledge-to-Action