Annual Meeting of the Four Societies 2024

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

Vince Di Pietro AM CSC FRSN FRAeS FAICD
Independent Consultant and
former Commodore, Royal Australian Navy

A joint meeting of the Australian Institute of Energy, the Australian Nuclear Association, Engineers Australia, and RSNSW, kindly supported by Academy Travel.

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 presentation: YouTube video 
All are welcome.

Summary: 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?

Vince Di Pietro is an independent consultant. Vince draws upon 40 years of service in the Royal Australian Navy specialising in aviation, flight training, professional military education, international diplomacy, risk management, certification, and safety.  In addition to Command appointments, Vince served twice as a Director General, as a Naval Attache to the United States, and as Commander of the Fleet Air Arm. On his retirement from the Navy, Vince was appointed Chief Executive of Lockheed Martin Australia and New Zealand until retiring from that position in April 2019. After many moves in Australia and overseas, Vince settled permanently in the Shoalhaven. During and after the Currowan Bushfire, Vince was the Local Recovery Coordinator for the Shoalhaven City Council overseeing the recovery coordination of the damage sustained by 82% of the Shoalhaven’s 4600 square kilometers. Having learned much during the fire emergency, Vince designed, coordinated, and implemented the Recovery into Resilience Project in the Shoalhaven. The Project was delivered on time and budget in October 2023 and is now fully operational at 26 Community Information Hubs powered by solar and battery and connected via satellite internet.