Nixon’s fire talk

By Elisa Scarton
EX-CHIEF commissioner Christine Nixon will be at Monash University Berwick tomorrow to speak about the Bushfire Royal Commission’s report.
The former Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority chief is the keynote speaker at The Monash Emergency Management Forum, which is being run by the university from 8.30am.
Ms Nixon will be discussing how the authority she led on Black Saturday has changed since the findings of the report were released in July.
She will be joined by Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Steve Fontana and the CEO of the Melbourne Fire and Emergency Services Board, Graham Fountain, as well as other representatives from the private and public sector.
Speakers will draw on key lessons learned from the final report and discuss the challenges of improving safety in times of natural disasters and public health emergencies within the City of Casey and Cardinia.
Members of the public are invited to attend and take part in the day, which finishes at 4.30pm.
Director of Monash University’s Department of Community Emergency Health and Paramedic Practice, Professor Frank Archer, said the event was part of a wider program being run by the university.
Monash University recently formed a unit to discuss emergency relief and community safety and will use the forum to speak to the public and industry experts.
“Within two years we hope to be well-established as a collaborative research, teaching and partnerships development group internationally recognised for making significant improvements within the communities,” Prof Archer said.
“We want to eventually play an important role in rethinking the nation’s capacity to anticipate and respond to critical threats to the community, economy and environment,” he said.
At the end of the forum, the unit and speakers will agree on a blueprint to implement lessons learnt from Black Saturday within the community.