A missed opportunity for nation building

Sustainable nation-building requires us to go beyond short-term ‘sugar hit’ investment and relearn how to collaborate with persistence.

Lessons from an octopus

As humans take up space and modify our environment, we affect the habitat of species that perish if they can’t adapt, change or move. What can we learn from octopuses about innovation and sustainability in the face of change?

Fighting natural disasters

Australians have endured floods, bushfires and hailstorms and more over the last two years. The government is better aligning policy to deal with disasters, but its plan is somewhat half-baked.

Defence needs to rethink its disaster-relief strategy

If the 2019–20 bushfire and cyclone seasons and Covid-19 are anything to go by, the Australian Defence Force is going to be central to many, if not all, of the government’s national disaster response and resilience policies.

Crisis, what crisis?

Crisis simulations prepare Australian decision-makers for a wide range of challenges and crises. The Australian Crisis Simulation Summit creates an opportunity for future national security leaders to strengthen Australia’s capacity to respond to security challenges.

It’s time to embrace a more sustainable future

The onset of COVID-19 has forced organisations out of their comfort zones to explore ventures they never thought of exploring, and quickly change business practices that would otherwise have taken years to implement.

Stronger communities build disaster resilience

A new report into the impact of bushfires in rural areas shows the importance of strong communities in resilience and recovery.

Why do ‘once a century’ events happen so often?

Our land of ‘droughts and flooding rains’ seems to suffer ‘once a century’ weather events with increasing regularity. Is this press hyperbole or an accurate picture?

Building a more resilient nation

The unprecedented nature of potential challenges facing Australia will not excuse remaining unprepared for the future, and civil society should learn from military preparedness models to improve its approach.

No easy fix for Australia’s supply-chain dependence on China

Despite China’s trade war against Australia, our dependence on Chinese supplies is so broad that finding alternative suppliers remains a major challenge.

Resilience – To be or not to be

To strengthen our resilience on a global national and individual levels, we should all join forces and work together but leadership will be required to translate this vision into reality.

The time for resilience is now

What makes a good leader? NSW Resilience Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons spoke on leadership traits at the GAP Virtual Summit on National Resilience.