Each summer has been predicted to be the hotter than the last as government and policy makers grapple

with what can be done to cope with climate change. This panel highlights community capabilities and

decision-making to build resilience and recover from natural hazard events. Associate Professor

Jessica Weir will be speaking about what Indigenous people are saying about cultural burning, how it

is being heard by government agencies, and the consequences for responding to an escalating

catastrophic bushfire context. Ms. Celeste Young will focus on community strengths and capabilities

from the Black Summer Bushfires in East Gippsland in 2019/2020 to explore how new understandings

are driving change in how we think about communities and their local knowledge in bush fire recovery.

Ms. Rhonda Ayliffe will talk about her community and role as project lead in the creation of the

Cobargo Bushfire Resilience Centre since the NSW bushfires in 2019. She will also discuss the recently

completed Badja Forest Rd Oral History Project with the National Library of Australia and how creative

practice informs her research, ‘Ash Alchemy: Art after Fire’

In-person event, or can be accessed via Teams: