Speakers
Darryl Glover
Major Incidents Report writer and Emergency and Disaster Management Advisor
Darryl is a specialist in disaster risk reduction, an experienced land and resource manager, and has significant experience in disaster emergency planning and operations. Darryl sees a resilient future for nations, organisations and communities, and specialises in reducing risk, including recommendations on systems, processes and projects to mitigate natural hazards. He is a member of the International Association of Emergency Managers. Darryl has worked in many jurisdictions in Australia and internationally on bushfire and disaster risk management, including risk management plans and processes in Victoria, South Australia, Mongolia, Tasmania, Western Australia and Queensland. He has over 25 years of operational fire response experience, including the Black Saturday Bushfires in Victoria. Darryl’s experience includes as an accredited auditor for ISO14001 in Environmental Management Systems and ISO31000 in Risk Management.
Joe Buffone
Deputy Coordinator General, Emergency Management and Response Group
National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)
Joe Buffone is the Deputy Coordinator General of the Emergency Management and Response Group of the National Emergency Management Agency in Australia. He previously held the position of Director General of Emergency Management Australia since October 2020, having been with EMA since December 2016, and has held multiple roles within the organisation. As Deputy Coordinator General, Joe is responsible for overseeing the Australian Government National Situation Room and Coordination of Australian Government Disaster Assistance (non-financial).
Joe has more than 30 years’ experience in security and disaster management and has held a number of key senior positions. He has held several senior executive positions over the past 15 years, such as Chief Officer of the Victorian Country Fire Authority, Deputy Emergency Management Commissioner Victoria, Deputy Emergency Services Commissioner, Victoria.
Joe has had direct involvement in coordinating and responding to major emergencies in Australia and internationally, at the Strategic, Operational and Tactical levels. Some examples are leading the 2022 Floods response, Victorian Aged Care Response Centre 2020, Black Summer 2019-20, Far North Queensland Floods 2018-19, Cyclone Debbie 2017, Tasmanian Bushfires 2016, Wye River Bushfires 2016, Nepal Earthquake 2015, Somerton Building Waste Fire 2015, Hazelwood Mine Fire 2014, NSW Bushfires 2014, 2011 Victorian Floods, and 2009 Black Saturday Fires in Victoria. He was deployed internationally to support an AUSMAT team deployment post the 2017 earthquake. Joe has also served in the Australian Defence Force.
Tony Fuller APM
Chief Fire Control Officer, Bushfires NT
Tony is the current Director of Operations with Bushfires NT having transferred to the position in April 2022. He has worked across three Emergency Management sectors in Police, Health and now Fire. During his 34 years of service with NT Police he led the response to a variety of high level incidents for cyclones, floods, civil unrest and established the initial response to the arrival of COVID 19 arrival in the NT before retiring from Police at the rank of Commander. He was also the NT Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) Commander for nearly 10 years and was also the Chair of the Australasian DVI Committee for two years representing Australia and New Zealand at Interpol. He partook in the Black Saturday DVI response in Victoria assisting Indonesian National Police as well as leading several local responses to multiple fatality incidents.
He later took on a position with NT Health as the Emergency Management Coordinator leading Rapid Assessment Teams into mine sites and communities as part of the COVID 19 Medical response.
He later joined Bushfires NT and admits that he is not a fireman but enjoys getting out onto the fire ground as much as possible working alongside the staff, volunteers and landholders. In 2023 he oversaw the Barkly Fire response where his experience in emergency management was called upon to respond not just to the Barkly Fire but many others across the Northern Territory. With a permanent staff of 37, there were more fires in the landscape than staff for the whole of the Northern Territory.
Dr Margaret Moreton (Moderator)
Executive Director, Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience (AIDR)
Margaret is the Executive Director for AIDR and has significant experience working in the government, non-government, business and the philanthropy sectors. Her career began in federal government, before she undertook community-based research at the Australian National University that identified key factors that contribute to disaster recovery and resilience. Margaret has worked in paid and volunteer roles and has operated her own private consulting business in disaster risk reduction and resilience. Following the 2019-20 bushfires, she spent time working in philanthropy. Margaret has developed a strong reputation as a disaster resilience specialist, working to build community resilience in partnership with a broad range of stakeholders and led by communities themselves.
Together with her team at AIDR, Margaret is focussed on developing and sharing knowledge, resources, and experience across a range of sectors, to lead or contribute to efforts that enhance community and systemic resilience to natural hazards, across Australia. She has a passion for amplifying the voices of diverse groups who have lived experience and significant knowledge and expertise, and have previously been overlooked or not included ‘at the table’. She feels a sense of urgency about disaster risk reduction work, and strongly advocates for partnership approaches, on the basis that urgency, relationship and trust are essential elements of bringing about systemic change.
