Bhiamie Williamson is a Euahlayi man from North West NSW and one of Australia’s leading researchers into Indigenous peoples’ experience of disasters. 

Bhiamie’s work in this field has led to his current leadership of the National Indigenous Disaster Resilience Project which sits within Monash University’s Fire to Flourish program. We spoke with Bhiamie following the inaugural National Indigenous Disaster Resilience Summit in Meanjin, Brisbane - a first-of-its-kind event that marks a significant step forward in disaster planning in Australia. 

Instigated by Bhiamie’s work within Fire to Flourish and driven by his motivation to build a community of practice around Indigenous approaches to disaster management, the summit brought together hundreds of Indigenous and non-Indigenous disaster planning representatives to share perspectives and discuss how to collaborate effectively into the future. 

Bhiamie also discusses his recent work with Phoebe Quinn and Professor Lisa Gibbs around Indigenous healing methods, highlights the importance of working within decolonial research frameworks, and shares the potential that privileging Indigenous voices in disaster planning can offer into developing new modes of thinking around the climate crisis. 

Links >>

Fire to Flourish, Monash University

https://www.monash.edu/msdi/initiatives/fire-to-flourish

National Indigenous Disaster Resilience Summit Program

https://www.aidr.org.au/events/37022?locationId=37027

National Indigenous Radio Service, First Nations Knowledge Needed in Disaster Planning

https://nirs.org.au/news/indigenous-knowledge-needed-in-disaster-planning/

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