From Risk to Strength: Equity- Driven Climate and Disaster Resilience Conference
The From Risk to Strength: Equity-Driven Climate and Disaster Resilience Conference will consider some of the key challenges facing South Australia with regard to our changing climate and increasing disasters, and how South Australia, including government agencies, community service organisations and local government can work together to ensure that the needs of people at increased risk are considered in disaster planning, response and recovery.
This conference is suitable for senior figures from government departments, local government, community sector leaders, service providers and community members. The event structure features learning from local and national experience, with sessions delivered by academics, state agencies, service providers and community members. Our work encourages collaboration, so the conference encourages informal networking opportunities.
When
Tuesday, 17 February 2026
9.00am – 4.30pm
Location
Adelaide Convention Centre
North Terrace, Adelaide, SA 5000
North Terrace, Adelaide, SA 5000
Contact
Amy Swinburne, Events and Membership Engagement Coordinator
Phone: 8305 4222
Email: events@sacoss.org.au
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 9.00am | SACOSS Welcome |
| 9.10am | Welcome to Country |
| 9.15am | Climate Data and Trends for SA Speaker: Tim Carruthers, Principal Advisor Climate Science, SA Water Informed by a range of climate data and Australia’s National Climate Risk Assessment and National Adaptation Plan, Tim will set the scene for the day, presenting on South Australia’s climate risk and trends, including temperature, rainfall and sea level rise. These trends will influence water security, biodiversity, infrastructure, and community resilience. The Department for Environment and Water’s approach emphasises tailoring climate information to practical needs, ensuring that projections inform risk assessments, infrastructure planning, and nature-based solutions to build resilience across South Australia. |
| 9.30am | First Nations Climate Resilience Speaker: Bhiamie Williamson, Associate Professor, Monash University Hazards such as fires, floods, and heatwaves are not new. First Nations groups have been responding and adapting to climate and landscape hazards for millennia. While the consequences of colonisation have been significant and remain ongoing, knowledge and practice of caring for Country and living with hazards remains strong. Drawing from research with First Nations groups throughout South Australia, this session will ask two vital questions: What might these ancient knowledges of Country and climate offer modern Australia? And, how might non-Indigenous Australia arrest the harms of colonisation to strengthen the distinct resilience of First Nations groups? |
| 10.10am | PaIRE Framework Launch |
| 10.20am | Morning Tea |
| 10.45am | Resilience and Safety: The perspective of people at higher risk Speaker: Kirsty Whitehead, Inclusive Communication Consultant, Advoca-Lab Alana Tiller, Consumer Liaison Officer, Guide Dogs SA/NT This panel will feature people with live experience of being at higher risk in disasters who will highlight how culture, disability and poverty intersect with disasters, and what we should consider to better enable them to prepare, respond and recover from disasters. |
| 11.35am | Right to Power: Keeping First Nations communities on prepayment connected during heatwaves Speakers: Cat Beaton, First Nations Clean Energy Network Glen Wingfield, First Nations Clean Energy Network Dr Tom Longden, Senior Research Fellow, Urban Transformations Research Centre, Western Sydney University Or; Gender and Disasters – Status in SA Speaker: Jo Garnett, Program Manager Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience, SAFECOM This presentation explores the intersection of gender and disasters through the lens of the UN Gender Action Plan, highlighting its relevance and application within the South Australian context. It outlines how gender inequalities shape disaster risk, exposure, and recovery outcomes, and emphasises the importance of gender-responsive policies, leadership, and data to strengthen resilience. The presentation will examine current progress, persistent gaps, and opportunities for South Australia to align with global best practice, ensuring that disaster risk reduction, preparedness, response and recovery efforts are inclusive, equitable, and informed by diverse lived experiences. |
| 12.05pm | Young People as Critical Stakeholders in Building Climate & Disaster Resilient Communities Speaker: Ness Wiebford, Youth Officer, Adelaide Hills Council In this session we will unpack why young people are a critical, and often under recognised as change agents in building climate and disaster resilient communities. Drawing on experiences across emergency management, community development, and youth participation, Ness will outline what young people need to know about climate and disaster risk, what they are already contributing, and where current systems fall short. Using insights from nationally recognised initiatives such as the Youth in Emergencies Development Program and contemporary research, she will highlight practical gaps between policy intent and lived experience, and share examples of ethical, youth-led approaches that strengthen preparedness, response, and recovery. This session hopes to inspire a rethink in people from emergency management, community services, and local government about how young people are engaged, not as a future consideration, but as essential partners in resilience today Or; New Standards and Good Practice in Home Based Aged Care Speaker: Cheryl Edwards, Head of Member Support & Advisory, Ageing Australia Through this session, Cheryl bridges practical planning tools with mandatory legislative standards for aged care providers, guiding them toward robust, compliant, and person-centered disaster resilience. This interactive session questions will facilitate the sharing of challenges, and practical advice on embedding resilience into aged-care practice. |
| 12.30pm | Lunch |
| 1.30pm | Community Hubs Panel Speakers: Sophie Millsteed, Community Resilience Officer, Adelaide Hills Council Karla Billington, Emergency Management Consultant and Community Leader, Bridgewater and Aldgate Community Support Hub and Deb Bates, Executive Officer, The Hut Community Centre This panel presentation will explore the evolving role and variation of community support hubs (CSH), emphasising the ways they will support local communities to prepare for and cope with emergencies in their area. Discussions will highlight the evolution of CSH in South Australia, the integral role of partnerships, recommended structures for CSHs and strategies for engaging spontaneous volunteers. Attendees will hear firsthand accounts from representatives of the Adelaide Hills Council, The Hut Community Centre, and the Bridgewater Aldgate Community Support Hub. |
| 2.15pm | NSW Disability Providers: What we have learnt from experience of multiple disasters Speaker: Lisa Smith, CEO Biala Support Services NSW disability providers have faced unprecedented challenges in recent years, navigating the impacts of COVID-19, catastrophic floods, an ex-tropical cyclone, and bushfires while ensuring continuity of essential services for people with disability. Drawing on these experiences, this presentation will explore how one organisation strengthened resilience through proactive planning, adaptive service delivery, and robust communication strategies. It will highlight key lessons in safeguarding staff wellbeing, maintaining services, and responding effectively to emergencies, offering practical insights for building organisational preparedness and responsiveness in the face of multiple disasters. Or; A Barrier to Resilience: The cost of building in the wrong place and to the wrong standards Speaker: Jeremy Miller, Resilient East Coordinator, City of Burnside The housing that we are building now will have an operational life well into a climate changed future and many of our existing buildings will still be utilised for decades to come. This presents challenges and opportunities which cluster around affordability, health, equity, living costs, insurance and resilience. This presentation explores these emerging and intersectional themes through a system dependencies and risk lens and asks whether the tools we have currently, will deliver what we need, or whether we require a new set of productivity measures to drive change and adaptation to assure that our housing will respond positively to climate stress. |
| 2.45pm | Mental health, disasters and climate grief Speakers: Sophia Villis, Clinical Psychologist, Transform Psychology Penny Kazla, Senior Program Manager, Mental Health Disaster Response, Resilience & Recovery, SA Health In this session we will hear from Penny Kazla Senior Program Manager: Mental Health Disaster Response, Resilience and Recovery, SA Health and Clinical Psychologist, Sophia Villis. Penny will discuss what we mean by the term mental health, who needs support after a disaster and what does that support look like, along with giving us a insight into what events SA Health are currently providing additional mental health support. Sophia will present information about common emotional responses after community disaster, including emerging issues and complexities in understanding and responding to emotional impacts after disasters. This will include some evidence-based strategies for supporting individuals with grief and well-being in disaster contexts, as well for cultivating emotional adaptation and resilience within the workplace context. |
| 3.10pm | Afternoon Tea |
| 3.35pm | River Murray Recovery: What worked and what were the challenges Speakers: Christian Longobardi, Principal Policy Officer, Security, Emergency and Recovery Management, Department of Premier and Cabinet Alexandra Westlake, Women of the Lower Murray River Irrigation Area The 2022/23 River Murray flood event will be remembered as one of South Australia’s most significant natural disasters, affecting communities across approximately 650 kilometres of river. The peak flow of 186 gigalitres a day – the equivalent of Adelaide’s entire annual water usage on a daily basis – had not been seen in South Australia since 1956. Almost 91,000 hectares of land was inundated. Every living thing along the river’s length felt its impact, from the natural flora and fauna to the livestock and agriculture – and, most importantly, the people who built their businesses, homes, and communities on the Murray. In this session, Christian will step us through a case study showing how leveraging interconnected systems and capabilities across the local and state level led to enhanced and tailored recovery outcomes to meet varying community needs, working towards effectively restoring and rebuilding along the length of the river. Alexandra Westlake, with then provide a perspective from the Lower Murray Reclaimed Irrigation Area (Mannum to Wellington) and the significant impact the River Murray flood has had on the region and people. She will also provide a brief history of the agricultural levee system in South Australia, will help explain the unique and specialised response required in flood (and drought) and discuss how community led, social wellbeing projects and grassroots community development initiatives bolster communities in the wake of adversity. |
| 4.15pm | Conference Wrap Up |
| 4.30pm | Conference Concludes |
