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Australian Disaster Resilience Conference event wrap-up

On the 24 and 25 of August AIDR welcomed delegates back to the first in-person Australian Disaster Resilience Conference (ADRC) to take place since 2019.

Hosted at the Adelaide Convention Centre, ADRC 2022 was officially the biggest yet with dual session streams; the ADRC Networking Function; the South Australian Resilient Australia Awards Ceremony; and the AIDR Knowledge Centre poster display and stand. It was wonderful to meet and connect with those who were able to join us in Adelaide.

The dual session streams ran over both days with a fantastic line-up of panels and speakers. Rooms were at capacity and there was plenty of enthusiastic engagement. Delegates were keen to listen, learn and re-connect, as one delegate noted there were ‘many opportunities to develop new connections; everyone was friendly and there was a real sense of the need for a collaborative approach to disaster management’.

Highlights from the presentations include:

  • The opening panel ‘Collaborating for resilience: multicultural communities and emergency management’. Championing inclusive emergency management in Victoria through the creation of connections between the Emergency Management sector and multicultural community groups.
  • Ian MacKenzie’s presentation on Disaster Risk Reduction. The need to step up, be brave and make the changes that are needed and ultimately to start and finish with ‘People’.
  • An address from the Senator the Hon Jenny McAllister, Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy, on Australia’s vision for tackling Climate Change and the hazards it creates.
  • The lived experience of Kangaroo Island residents and those who have supported them in their recovery so far. Residents demonstrated that with the right resources, knowledge and support communities are not just willing and able, but best placed to lead their own recovery.
  • Quinn Obran, a young person from Corryong, who proved given the opportunity young people are more than capable of articulating what their needs are in preparing for and recovering from disaster.
  • Discussions on the ongoing issues of hypermasculinity and perceptions of who is worst off in disaster; media dis- and misinformation; individual preparedness and understanding of risk; and disaster fatigue stemming from increasingly frequent and compounding disasters.

Through the post-conference survey, delegates noted that the ADRC ‘reiterated the importance of conversations, connection and relationship building’ and that they ‘felt reenergised'. Delegates also reported that the conference provided wonderful opportunity to gain insight into the range of initiatives and organisations in the sector, and to ‘hear from other organisations about how they are addressing resilience and recovery in disaster affected communities, and how they are overcoming any issues experienced during their work’.

Thank you to our session chairs and Red Cross Volunteers as well as our 2022 sponsors NAB, Fire to Flourish and the Paul Ramsey Foundation, without whom ADRC22 would not have been the success it was.

Congratulations to our South Australian Resilient Australia Awards Recipients:

  • CFS Talks and the Office of Data Analytics | Resilient Australia Government Award for South Australia
  • Red Cross Australia | Resilient Australia Community Award for South Australia
  • St Columba’s Memorial School | Resilient Australia School’s Award for South Australia
  • Adapt West | Resilient Australia Local Government Award for South Australia

The AIDR Knowledge Centre and stand were standout features of the AFAC22 powered by INTERSCHUTZ Trade Exhibition. One-hundred and eighteen posters were entered into the display. The Judge's award went to Fortem Australia and Delegates voted NSW State Emergency Service as the winning posters for ADRC22.