Research as far back as 1992 indicates a disturbing trend in Australia, with increased violence and aggression from men towards woman after a disaster. Today Josh and Andrew are exploring this hidden disaster – the rise in domestic violence following a disaster, such as a bushfire or flood. What can emergency managers to reduce this violent behaviour altogether? Experts Dr Debra Parkinson and Steve O’Malley AFSM from Gender and Disaster Australia join the show to discuss their research and links between disasters and increased violence towards women. They examine how societal expectations of g ..read more

Have you ever visited a location impacted by a disaster, such as Chernobyl, Ukraine or Fukushima, Japan? Dark Tourism involves people visiting sites of death or tragedy, where the extraordinary has occurred. In this episode, dark tourism expert Dr Philip Stone joins Andrew and Josh to understand the motivations for dark tourism and why people visit disaster sites. Philip explains the history behind dark tourism and examples from around the world. He also shares the challenges of balancing education with sensitivity when memorialising tragic events. Dr Philip Stone is the Executive Director of ..read more

Gear up for the year ahead with our insights and highlights from Season 3 of Australia’s leading disaster podcast. During this season, Andrew and Josh spoke with guests from around the world about disasters. These are some of their favourite highlights ..read more

Money is often said to make the world go round, and targeted investments in strategic projects can indeed wield significant influence, especially when directed towards mitigating disaster risks. In this episode, Andrew and Josh chat with Steven Goldfinch, Senior Disaster Risk Specialist at the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Steve explains ADB’s Strategy 2030, a comprehensive plan aligning the bank’s efforts with the pressing needs of the Asia Pacific Region. This includes reducing poverty, adapting to climate change, promoting gender equality, and developing sustainable cities. Steve discusses ..read more

Dr Albrecht Beck joins Andrew and Josh to discuss his award-winning disaster diplomacy work facilitating emergency management cooperation between Israel, Palestine, and Jordan – one of the world’s most complex regions.  Albrecht shares the challenges of building trust between the nations and how focusing discussions on shared risks from natural hazards such as earthquakes helped establish initial cooperation. Over a decade, the project grew to include joint training, exercises, and developing standard operating procedures. While political tensions remain high, day-to-day coordination betw ..read more

The year was 2002, and Inspector Peter Baines was working with NSW Police in Sydney when he was deployed to Bali following bombings in two busy Kuta nightspots. Two and a half years later, Peter was deployed again overseas – this time to Thailand, to assist with victim identification following the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. In this episode, Peter Baines joins Andrew and Josh to discuss his leadership journey. Peter shares his experience working in challenging environments overseas, dealing with post-deployment blues, imposter syndrome, taking on a limitless mindset and the importance of having ..read more

Parts of the northern hemisphere have been suffering through record high temperatures. Canada has experienced the worst wildfire season on record. The world is becoming warmer and communities are struggling through seemingly endless heatwaves. Heatwaves are the silent killer. The 2003 European heatwave caused an estimated 70,000 excess deaths. 473 heat-related deaths were recorded in Australia in the 18 years to June 2018. This month Professor Ben Zaitchik joins the show to talk us through heatwaves. Ben is a Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Johns Hopkins University and explains wh ..read more

Have you ever worked or volunteered in an organisation where it felt toxic? It’s likely a result of poor leadership and culture. Expert leadership scientist Dr Darja Kragt joins the show to discuss leadership and culture in emergency management, and what leadership looks like now and into the future. Darja shares with Andrew and Josh the importance of emergency management and key challenges when leading volunteers. She explains the science behind leadership, influencing in a hierarchical culture of command and control, measuring culture and how to address improvements to the culture of an orga ..read more

Innovation is everywhere – and technology is distrupting our lives faster than ever before. But what happens when we cross innovative technology with the climate crisis and the impact of more intense disasters? In this episode, Andrew and Josh speak with Associate Professor Roslyn Prinsley, Head of Disasters Solutions at the Institute for Climate, Energy & Disaster Solutions at the Australian National University. Roslyn shares her experience living in Canberra during the Black Summer bushfires, and how the impact of the smoke promoted her into action, to look at new research and innovative ..read more

Are we headed for a future without volunteers? And what does the future look like for the wide emergency management workforce? Andrew and Josh are joined by Dr Blythe McLennan, Node Research Manager (Victoria) at Natural Hazards Research Australia to discuss the shifting landscape, workforce challenges and opportunities for emergency management leaders. Blythe is a qualitative human geographer with a keen interest in government-citizen relationships in disaster risk reduction, governance and management. Her research has an applied policy focus and prior to her current role, she was undertaking ..read more