In a fitting end to a purposeful career focused on the New South Wales (NSW) community, Commissioner Rob Rogers of the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) delivered the keynote presentation at the Centre’s recent stakeholder forum at NSW Parliament House.
Commissioner Rogers reflected on a changing landscape and the importance of research to inform the emergency management sector of tomorrow in his presentation to the Centre ahead of retiring from NSW RFS this year.
On Wednesday, 5th February 2025, NSW Parliament House played host to the Centre’s first stakeholder event for 2025, highlighting key achievements and fostering collaboration and engagement among its Participants and broader stakeholders.
Officially opened by The Hon Greg Piper MP, Speaker of the NSW Legislative Assembly, the event offered a unique opportunity for attendees to engage with the Centre’s Board, sharing insights and discussing the sector's needs in addressing natural hazards resilience and disaster risk reduction.
The event successfully brought together a diverse audience across government, not-for-profit, research and the private sector. Centre CEO Andrew Gissing provided 100 attendees an exclusive look into the Centre's future strategy and direction, offering a glimpse into the Centre's visionary plans.
Researchers delivered briefings on how their research outcomes are being applied to deliver real-world results, underlining the practical impact of their work, including:
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Early career researcher, Suki Jaiswal, PhD candidate, Natural Hazards Research Australia and University of New South Wales, on the impacts of smoke on the ocular surface of the eye
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Dr Erica Kuligowski, Natural Hazards Research Australia and RMIT University on the community experiences of the 2022 floods – SA, Vic and NSW
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Liza Gelt, Natural Hazards Research Australia and Collaborative Consulting Co on the utilisation of transformative scenarios in a climate-challenged world
The event highlighted the power of strong existing and next generation knowledge networks to bring about change and in the final words of Commissioner Rogers, “it’s over to you now.”