23 February 2015: Following the impact of Cyclones Marcia and Lam in Queensland and the Northern Territory over the past days, Australians need little reminder that disasters, whether natural or caused by people, are inevitable.
Emergency Management Australia Director-General Mark Crosweller will speak at the University of Canberra TONIGHT, on how people prepare, react and respond to disaster and how a change of thinking can affect the outcome.
During the University's Canberra Urban and Regional Futures (CURF) seminar, Mr Crosweller will propose a set of principles to approach disaster preparation as well as the immediate and longer term reaction to an event.
"Ironically, viewing severe to catastrophic disasters as the least likely to occur, but most consequential creates a paradox. In planning, the least likely implies not needing to spend too much time thinking about the problem, but the most consequential would suggest the exact opposite," Mr Crosweller said.
Coming directly from overseeing Emergency Management Australia's response to the two cyclones, Mr Crosweller said Australia has a wealth of experience in disaster management, but even this would benefit from a fresh approach to thinking about the way we deal with disaster.
"Thinking differently requires leadership. It is also falls on our leadership to think differently. This may sound like another paradox, but the distinction is important. Developing traditional leadership competencies are critical, however leaders will need more. They will need to establish an ethical basis in which to give stewardship and guidance to those they are leading through the complexity of analysing severe to catastrophic disasters ahead of time, as well as managing them when they occur," he said.
Disaster management and changing outcomes are central to CURF and University of Canberra research, particularly with regards to managing bushfire risk and land use planning, coastal planning, and climate change adaptation.
CURF is a University of Canberra and Australian National University joint initiative aiming to find new pathways and implementation strategies for cities and regions to grow more sustainably.
WHAT: CURF Seminar: 'The inevitability of disaster and how to change the outcome' by Mark Crosweller, director-general, Emergency Management Australia.
WHEN: Monday 23 February 5:30-7:00pm
WHERE: Ann Harding Conference Centre, Building 24, University Drive South, University of Canberra (campus map) 

Contact University of Canberra Media and Communications
Amanda Jones T: 02 6201 5422 M: 0409 140 415
Marcus Butler T: 02 6206 8677
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