The webinar will provide a soft introduction to the Fire to Flourish bushfire resilience program, a partnership between Monash University, the Paul Ramsay Foundation, The Australian Centre for Social Innovation (TACSI), and Metal Manufactures Limited.
The program combines the Paul Ramsay Foundation's core mission of disrupting cycles of disadvantage with Monash’s multidisciplinary expertise across the social, economic, institutional, and environmental systems that influence resilience, and TACSI’s ability to centre the experiences of individuals and communities living amid these challenges.
Fire to Flourish seeks to strengthen community leadership and action in bushfire-affected communities. By working closely with a number of communities severely affected by the 2019/2020 summer bushfire season, the program will develop innovative, evidence-informed approaches to community-led disaster recovery and resilience building. Immediately following the event, digital copies of the Fire to Flourish Report will be published by the Monash Sustainable Development Institute. A special edition of articles on the subject of bushfire recovery and resilience published in The Conversation will also be made available to all registered.
The focus of the event will be a panel discussion chaired by Associate Professor Briony Rogers, MSDI. The panel will include the perspectives of individuals and groups who have directly experienced bushfires, including community leaders, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and young people. The event will be hosted by Dr Jeni Whalan, Chief Strategy Officer at the Paul Ramsay Foundation.
In May 2021, Monash University, the Paul Ramsay Foundation and Metal Manufacturers Limited announced their partnership to reimagine community resilience in a new $50 million program. To view the official press release announcing the partnership CLICK HERE.
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Panel Moderator
CEO of ‘Fire to Flourish’ Bushfire Resilience Program
Director of MSDI Water
As the Director of MSDI Water with the Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Professor Briony Rogers leads cross-faculty research and enterprise initiatives, bringing together Monash's water expertise to support progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Briony is motivated by a mission to drive societal transformations so we can thrive in the face of sustainability challenges such as climate change, population growth and urban intensification.
In her role as Chief Research Officer for the Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities (CRCWSC), Briony leads a team of researchers from Monash University, University of Queensland and University of Western Australia to deliver the CRCWSC’s interdisciplinary water sensitive cities research program.
Briony has an interdisciplinary background with a PhD in Environmental Sociology, a Bachelor of Civil Engineering (Honours) and Bachelor of Science. Prior to entering academia, she worked as an engineering consultant on water infrastructure projects in Australia and Vietnam. She is a member of Monash’s Climate Change Communication Research Hub in the Faculty of Arts, and co-Chair of the International Working Group on Water Sensitive Urban Design. In 2014, Briony was selected by the International Social Science Council as one of twenty World Social Science Fellows in the area of sustainable urbanisation.
Zena Armstrong is drawing on her experience as a lifelong community volunteer and a long career in the Department of Foreign Affairs to inform her work and advocacy on recovery, resilience and climate adaptation in regional NSW. Zena is the Director of the Cobargo Folk Festival, one of the largest single cultural events on the Far South Coast of NSW and the President of the Cobargo Community Bushfire Recovery Fund, which she established in the immediate aftermath of the 2019/2020 fires. She's also deeply involved in community-led efforts to transition to a community-owned renewable energy grid in the north of the Bega Valley for greater energy security and a rapid reduction in carbon emissions. Her DFAT career spanned postings in China; work on the Iraq conflict and in multilateral negotiations, including the UNFCCC, CBD, CSD and IWC.Â
Jason Ardler is an Aboriginal man of the Yuin nation, with cultural ties to the NSW South Coast. Jason has 20 years’ experience in senior executive roles in the NSW public sector, including seven years as the Head of Aboriginal Affairs NSW, where he led Government strategy and reform in Aboriginal economic participation, community governance, land rights, culture and heritage, community safety, environmental health and service accountability. Prior to joining Aboriginal Affairs NSW, Jason was Executive Director Culture and Heritage in the NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change.
Jason has been a member of numerous national and state level councils, executive committees and working groups on Aboriginal affairs, state and economic development, public land management, and social policy reform. He is also an experienced board member, currently appointed to the NSW Health Pathology Board.
Hi, my name is Amber Kelleher and I’m from the Manning Valley! I have been incredibly lucky to be a part of the Manning Youth Action Team for over five years, working with young people to put on youth-friendly events including Summerfest and Live ‘n’ Loud. More recently, collaborating with Save the Children Australia provided the opportunity to present council members, mental health workers and disaster recovery teams with recommendations in relation to youth experiences during the 2019-20 fires and 2021 floods in the Manning Valley for the Disaster Recovery Plan. I coach nippers at Old Bar Beach in the summer and host a radio show called On A Sidenote where I hear from people all over Australia about things important to them and their community, consequently, I was able to hear from and share the stories of a diverse range of people with many perspectives of the local fires. I’ve gained incredible experiences sharing stories of resilience against natural disasters at the local Australia Day awards and ANZAC Day ceremony. As you’ve probably already guessed, I am super passionate about the concept of community and creating a sense of belonging.
