It’s my pleasure to welcome you to the October 2025 edition of the Australian Journal of Emergency Management (AJEM) as the new Manager, Knowledge Development at the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience (AIDR).
I’ve come to AIDR from Natural Hazards Research Australia where I was the Node Research Manager for Victoria and Tasmania, following a 12-year research career spanning disaster risk reduction, response and recovery. Moving into knowledge development at AIDR is an amazing opportunity to work with collaborators across the disaster resilience sector to develop and curate good practice, knowledge and resources that inform decision making and action. As well as contributing to this journal, I’ll also be managing the Australian Disaster Resilience Handbook Collection and Glossary, as well as taking care of the What’s New in Knowledge blog series, created by AIDR Executive Director, John Richardson.
It was an honour to begin my new journey at AIDR at the Australian Disaster Resilience Conference 2025 held in late August – a feat of research-based insights and diverse perspectives on policy and practice.
As well as meeting my new AIDR colleagues, I was thrilled to also meet the speakers, Resilience Lane exhibitors, and delegates who joined us in Perth as we explored the theme 'Embracing radical transformation: The future is now'. A personal highlight for me was learning about the proactive, engaged and thoughtful on-the-ground resilience building work facilitated and led by local governments. I was also privileged to hear firsthand from people about the important role that AIDR fills as a supporter to so much good work being undertaken across the country. Proceedings from the conference 2025 are now available via the Knowledge Hub. Congratulations to everyone that contributed to making this year’s conference such a success.
In this October 2025 edition of the AJEM, the research papers share a focus on learning from the diverse perspectives, experiences and capabilities of those who are, in various diverse ways, on the frontline of disaster risk reduction and recovery. This includes surf life savers, teachers and primary school students, community sector organisations, community-based environmentally focused groups, and public sector and international non-government organisation workers. Alongside these papers, you can read reports on cutting edge practices in the diverse areas of AI-enhanced lessons management, rapid assessment of critical road assets, and scenario-based training and curriculum design. In news and views, we celebrate 10 years of continuous improvement in lessons management in Victoria, and the growth of the DisasterWISE community-led learning network.
I have joined the AJEM team at an auspicious moment. Next year will mark 40 years since this journal was founded. It’s a legacy to be proud of, and we will be celebrating this in a series of anniversary issues kicking off in January 2026. I’m looking forward to reflecting on past editions and working towards new ones with you.