Resilience before Readiness — “… for the want of a horseshoe nail”

Speaker: Vince Di Pietro AM CSC FRSN, Independent Consultant, a former Commodore, Royal Australian Navy and a former CEO of Lockheed Martin Australia

6 pm EADT Wednesday 21 February 2024

Hosted by the Royal Society of NSW

A joint meeting of the Australian Institute of Energy, the Australian Nuclear Association, the Sydney Division of Engineers Australia, and the Royal Society of NSW — organised this year by the Royal Society of NSW.

Date: Wednesday, 21 February 2024, 6.00 pm for 6.30 pm AEDT

Venue: Metcalfe Theatre, State Library of New South Wales (Macquarie Street entrance)

Video of Vince Di Pietro presentation is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubRWpOBC-qs

Summary: 

Vince Di Petro considered the country’s preparedness and resilience for future natural disasters, drawing on his experience as the Local Recovery Coordinator for the Shoalhaven Council following the 2029/20 Black Summer bushfires, and the Recovery into Resilience Project that he designed, coordinated, and implemented in the Shoalhaven.

The 2019/2020 Black Summer bushfires devastated significant areas of land and destroyed much property. While the psychological damage continues to be felt by many, the emergency response and subsequent recovery exposed many shortcomings in our nation’s capacity and capabilities. The concurrent emergency of early COVID-19 amplified the shortcomings beyond reasonable doubt. While much of the spotlight is afforded to the readiness possibilities offered by technology and equipment, the essential nature of national resilience needed to underpin preparedness may be in need of closer understanding, analysis, and improvement. Whether discussing high-end military equipment, cyber-attacks on our docks, or regional childcare, are our assumptions correct? Are we investing in success or repeating previous experiences and expecting a different outcome?