In-person forum attendance 
19-20 May 2026

$460.00 +GST*

Includes:

• Two-day program
• Participation in Q&A with speakers
• Printed delegate program
• Day catering
• Networking function at the conclusion of day one

Virtual forum attendance 
19-20 May 2026

$295.00 +GST*

Includes:

• Two-day program, via Zoom
• Participation in Q&A with speakers
• Digital delegate program

In-person workshops 
21 May 2026

$125.00 +GST* per workshop

Includes:

• Choose one of the three workshops (see options below)
• Half day catering

Tuesday 19 May

Welcome and opening
- Welcome to Country
- Housekeeping

MC: Des Hosie, Fire and Emergency New Zealand

Opening remarks
Alistair Dawson, Inspector-General of Emergency Management

Keynote
Learning across borders: International insights and national opportunities
Katarina Carroll APM, National Emergency Management Agency

12.00pm

9.30am 

8.00am

Lessons to leverage: Bringing frameworks to life
Erin Pelly, Australian Red Cross and Lauren Lombardi, Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience

1.15pm

10.45am 

9.15am

Generating participative value in the lessons process through positive language
Paul Margetts, Paul Margetts Consulting

1.35pm

11.05am

9.35am

Implementing a successful lessons management framework across multiple major disaster events
Kelli Hudson and Troy Gersback, City of Gold Coast

1.55pm

11.25am

9.55am

From lessons identified to lessons learned: Copilot supported after action reviews in Victorian public health incident management
Priya Rangarajan, Victorian Department of Health

2.15pm

11.45am

10.15am

The future of lessons management: Learning systems for Australia’s emerging risk landscape
Jennifer Pothan, National Emergency Management Agency

2.35pm

12.05pm

10.35am

Enhancing real-time monitoring, evaluation and continuous improvement during sustained operations
Luke Purcell, Emergency Management Victoria

3.35pm

1.05pm 

11.35am

From stories to systems: Turning tacit recovery know-how into lessons identified—and learned
Dr Patrick Fong, Griffith University

3.55pm

1.25pm

11.55am

Learning at the speed of recovery: Rethinking lessons management in recovery in Western Australia
Donna Carter, Department of Fire and Emergency Services, WA

4.15pm

1.45pm

12.15pm

Embedding risk, learning, and trust: The Queensland Police Service journey in disaster lessons management
Courtney Russell, Queensland Police Service

4.35pm

2.05pm

12.35pm

The hitchhikers guide to lessons management
Mark Cuthbert

4.55pm

2.25pm

12.55pm

Afternoon tea (30 minutes)

5.15pm

2.45pm

1.15pm

From lessons identified to lessons learned: Embedding gender and inclusion into evacuation practice
Mel Osborne, Gender and Disaster Australia

5.45pm

3.15pm

1.45pm

Turning lessons into practical change on biosecurity responses
Bryar Clayton, Ministry for Primary Industries

6.05pm

3.35pm

2.25pm

Queensland Corrective Services - Embracing the challenge
M.Sc. Lisa Cameron de Vries, Phoenix Resilience and Eden Hughes-Barbour, Queensland Corrective Services

6.25pm

3.55pm

2.25pm

From insight to impact: How ERV turned lessons into lasting change
Grace Grech and Dana Hehir, Emergency Recovery Victoria – State Capability and Operations

6.45pm

4.15pm

2.45pm

Key insights and lessons emerging from recovery focused events and operations in New Zealand
Stefan Michie, National Emergency Management Agency NZ

7.05pm

4.35pm

3.05pm

Wednesday 20 May

Keynote
Erase and repeat: Institutional amnesia and lesson learning
Dr Alastair Stark, University of Queensland

Finishing well: How lessons drive strategy, strengthen practice, and enable purposeful exits
Erin Pelly, Australian Red Cross and Dr Claire Leppold, University of Melbourne

Closing the loop: Positioning the lessons management framework as a risk management tool
Alex Murray, DAFF

12.05pm

9.35am 

8.05am

Bridging strategy and implementation: Lessons management in Queensland’s disaster recovery sector
Alistair Dawson, IGEM and Simon Dorrington, Queensland Reconstruction Authority

12.55pm

10.25am 

8.55am

Stories of Jasper
Kate Bertola, Mareeba Shire Council

1.15pm

10.45am

9.15am

Why we keep relearning the same lessons: Enablers and barriers to lessons management in the Western Australian emergency services sector
Jennifer Medbury, Edith Cowan University

1.35pm

11.05am

9.35am

Why do lessons fail to stick?
Superintendent Mark Langhorn, Victoria Police

1.55pm

11.25am

9.55am

Lessons Management Award - winning presentation

Turning lessons into action: Advancing organisational resilience post–Tropical Cyclone Alfred
Coralie Muddle and Chris Barnes, City of Moreton Bay

2.55pm

12.25pm

10.55am

Lessons Management Award - highly commended presentation

Sector wide lessons implementation
Gemma Parkin, NZ Land Search and Rescue

3.25pm

12.55pm

11.25am

Making lessons stick
Dr Tracy Hatton and David Parsons, Resorgs/RRANZ

3.45pm

1.15pm

11.45am

Tailored for rigour, challenged by tempo: Releasing lessons in continuous operations
Sanna Verhoef and Chris Jacobson, Transport For NSW

4.05pm

1.35pm

12.05pm

How lessons learned from 2021-2023 NSW floods significantly improved field data insights, and understanding of flood impacted communities in 2025
Melissa Daley, NSW State Emergency Service

4.25pm

1.55pm

12.25pm

Afternoon tea (30 minutes)

4.45pm

2.15pm

12.45pm

Impressions from a Churchill Fellowship investigating Lessons Management, NSW Rural Fire Service
Superintendent Dan Meijer, NSW Rural Fire Service

5.15pm

2.45pm

1.15pm

Evolving RPAS (Drones) from observation to intelligence in Queensland Fire Department operations
Dean West, Queensland Fire Department

5.35pm

3.05pm

1.35pm

Insight or illusion? Ensuring accuracy in AI powered lessons management
Dorothea Huber, AMSA

5.55pm

3.25pm

1.55pm

Beyond resilience: Agricultural recovery by design — from lessons identified to lessons embedded
Leanne Kruss, Australian Integrated Agriculture

6.15pm

3.45pm

2.15pm

We learn as one: Victoria's decade of learning lessons together - Practical pathways for embedding lessons management

Facilitated by: 

Luke Purcell, Emergency Management Victoria
Lee Dalgleish, Emergency Management Victoria

Workshop overview:

This workshop focuses on practical ways to embed lessons management into everyday organisational practice. Drawing on Victoria’s experience, participants will explore the core components of an effective lessons system, including governance alignment, insight development, and cultural enablers. Through guided activities and peer discussion, participants will reflect on their current approach, identify gaps, and develop realistic actions to strengthen their own systems. The workshop is designed for practitioners seeking clear, adaptable methods to improve learning and continuous improvement in complex environments.

Beginning the journey - A newbie's guide to lessons management

Facilitated by: 

Gemma Parkin, NZ Land Search and Rescue

Workshop overview:

They say there’s no such thing as a silly question, but that doesn’t stop you from feeling silly when asking it. This workshop is a safe space for those starting their lessons management journey. We’ll slow it down and break it down, helping demystify the language and elements to give you a clearer understanding.

During this workshop, we will:

• break down the lessons management cycle and the observations, insights, lessons identified and lessons learned (OILL) process
• explore the real steps, missteps, and insights from NZ Land Search and Rescue's 3-year journey to create and implement a lessons framework
• develop practical steps for getting started.

From Aboriginal cultural insight to organisational change: Translating recovery lessons into action

Facilitated by: 

Ty Caling, Conservation Collaborators
Carole Macmillan, East Gippsland Shire Council

Workshop overview:

This interactive workshop draws on the Aboriginal and Cultural Recovery and Resilience Strengthening (ACR) Program following the 2019–20 East Gippsland bushfires to explore how community insights from recovery can be translated into practical organisational change. Using a real recovery case study, participants will examine systemic barriers that prevent lessons being embedded and work through a practical framework for converting qualitative recovery insights into governance, policy, and capability improvements.

Through facilitated exercises and systems mapping, participants will develop actionable pathways to move from lessons identified to lessons learned within their own organisations.

Brisbane Marriott Hotel

515 Queen St, Brisbane City QLD 4000
(Forum venue)

Conference rates will be automatically applied when booking via the link.

Oaks Brisbane Aurora Suites

420 Queen St, Brisbane City QLD 4000
(4-minute walk to Brisbane Marriott Hotel)

How to book:

1. Go to website via link
2. Select HOTEL NAME
3.  Enter “OUREVENT”
4. Select dates (must be between 16-23 May)
5. Select room type and rates
6. Follow the prompts to book

Oaks Brisbane Lexicon Suites

347 Ann St, Brisbane City QLD 4000
(6-minute walk to Brisbane Marriott Hotel)

How to book:

1. Go to website via link
2. Select HOTEL NAME
3. Enter “OUREVENT”
4. Select dates (must be between 16-23 May)
5. Select room type and rates
6. Follow the prompts to book

Adina Apartment Hotel Anzac Square

255 Ann St, Brisbane City QLD 4000
(11-minute walk to Brisbane Marriott Hotel)

Conference rates will be automatically applied when booking via the link.