Gathering to bring disaster resilience conversation onto Country
Environmental disasters are worsening in Australia year on year, the need for increased recognition of Indigenous-led disaster management approaches continues to grow.
The National Indigenous Disaster Resilience Gathering 2026 begins today, prioritising Indigenous voices in emergency management and recovery, bringing people out of conference centres and on Country to drive an Indigenous‑led national conversation on disaster resilience.
The three-day ‘unconference’ will also give key decision‑makers a firsthand understanding of what recovery looks like on the ground and how it can inform guiding policies that benefit all Australians.
NIDR’s program lead Associate Professor Bhiamie Williamson.
NIDR’s program lead Associate Professor Bhiamie Williamson said the event is grounded in a shared understanding of the disproportionate impacts major disasters have on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, while acknowledging their leadership and commitment to recovery.
“Governments no longer have the luxury of responding to increasing threats of climate change in a slow or incremental way. Meeting the scale of the challenge must start by listening to the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities,” Associate Professor Williamson said.
Keynote addresses on Indigenous knowledge
“This is an opportunity to come together to recognise and celebrate the inherent strengths of Indigenous communities and ask what we might learn from the resilience of our communities as they continue to stand up despite the deeply embedded discrimination in modern Australia.”
Across the three days, delegates will hear from Indigenous leaders and disaster specialists from Australia and abroad with keynote addresses on Indigenous knowledge for disaster risk reduction.
Workshops and panel discussions will explore themes including youth and disasters, mental health and wellbeing, and community‑led recovery.
Attendees will also be invited to participate in immersive, Indigenous‑led On Country activities, where local leaders will share knowledge of Caring for Country practices, including cool burning and other cultural land management techniques.
Nick Ashburner, CEO of the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation.
Nick Ashburner, CEO of the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC), said this felt like a particularly urgent moment to re-examine mainstream approaches to disaster response and recovery.
“This conversation is incredibly relevant to what we are all experiencing at the moment. Energy insecurity around the world and the unstable price of fuel affects our most vulnerable communities first, and punishes those who choose to live on remote Country,” he said.
Building disaster resilience
“Couple those pressures with the increase in extreme weather events, and you can see why there is such interest in learning what we can from the deep knowledge of First Nations people when it comes to matters of Country, and community, and healing. I hope as many people as possible take advantage of this remarkable opportunity.”
Oliver Costello, Executive Director, Jagun Alliance, said the NIDR Gathering will highlight the importance of Indigenous knowledge in building disaster resilience.
The Gathering will be held at theWangun Amphitheatre.
“What Indigenous communities have been doing – caring for Country through fire, through water, through deep knowledge of place – that’s at the heart of disaster resilience. The NIDR Gathering is a chance for that knowledge to travel further and into the conversations shaping how we all prepare and recover together,” Mr Costello said.
NIDR is delivering the 2026 Gathering in partnership with Jagun Alliance, Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation, Lake Tyers Aboriginal Trust and East Gippsland Shire Council.
