The impact of climate change on infrastructure and government will be one of the key themes of Australia’s first Xtreme Weather Conference, to be held at the Sofitel Brisbane on 20 March 2018.

The conference brings together climate change experts with local government planners, academics and emergency services to share information on climate change and its impacts on the government and commercial sectors, and the social and physical impact on communities and tourism.

The opening keynote address at the conference will be given by Professor Will Steffen from Climate Council Australia. The Council is the privately funded successor to the former Climate Commission, which was abolished by the Abbott Government in 2013. It is regarded as Australia’s independent and authoritative voice on climate change.

Around 150 delegates from local government, construction, planning, architecture and design industries, academia and emergency services are expected to attend the inaugural event.

Other speakers in Professor Jean Palutikof, Director of the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility, and Jonathan Barratt, CEO of Celsius Pro Australia who will review advances in forecasting, climate change adaptation and innovation available to reduce the impact of extreme weather on communities.

Verity Morgan-Schmidt, CEO of Farmers for Climate Action, will discuss how to manage the risks of climate variability and extremes in Australian agriculture.

Retired Admiral Chris Barrier will end the day discussing disaster management, including insights into the role of military response, cross-border collaborations, disaster management in the digital age and case studies focused on emergency management technologies.

Other speakers include Professor Hilary Bambrick (Head of the School of Public Health and Social Work at QUT), Dr Martin Rice (Head of Research at the Climate Council, and Professor Karen Hussey (Director of the Centre for Policy Futures at the University of Queensland).

The Xtreme Weather Conference is supported by The Climate Council Australia and will include a one-hour interactive panel session, focusing on how to effectively communicate on climate change to different audiences by making problems relevant and local.

The panel will be moderated by Dr Martin Rice Head of Research at Climate Council Australia.

GovernmentNews is a media partner for the event. GovernmentNews readers can receive an additional $100 off the early bird price of $595 by quoting the code GOV100 when registering.

More information is available here.

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