About the
State Bushfire
Coordination Committee

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Role of the SBCC

The SBCC is a State-level South Australian Government committee appointed by the Governor made up of representatives and nominees of fire and land management and allied agencies, and representative organisations. Executive support is provided by the SACFS.

The primary roles of the Committee are to:

promote the coordination of activities of agencies responsible for bushfire management;
provide oversight, guidance and assurance regarding the operation of Bushfire Management Committees and the implementation of Bushfire Management Area Plans; and
promote bushfire awareness.

The State Bushfire Coordination Committee is established under the Fire and Emergency Services Act 2005 (FES Act), in Section 71. The Committee's functions are set out in Section 71A of the Act, and form the terms of reference for its operation.

Promoting the coordination of bushfire management activities

Supporting better prepared, safer and more resilient communities

Building partnerships and shared responsibility

State Bushfire Coordination Committee governance

The SBCC is a State-level committee tasked with coordinating bushfire management in South Australia. It brings together representatives of State Government fire and land management agencies, along with agencies managing critical infrastructure and those who have responsibilities in bushfire and emergency management. The Committee also includes nominees of representative organisations: local government, primary producers, SACFS volunteers and the environmental conservation sector.

The functions of the SBCC are set out in the Fire and Emergency Services Act 2005 and form the statutory terms of reference for the Committee. They are summarised below:

to advise the Minister on bushfire prevention and matters related to bushfire management in the State;
to promote the State-wide coordination and integration of policies, practices and strategies relating to bushfire management activities;
to provide guidance, direction and advice to bushfire management committees and to resolve issues arising between bushfire management committees;
to prepare, and keep under review, the State Bushfire Management Plan and to keep under review the extent to which Bushfire Management Area Plans and policies, practices and strategies adopted or applied by bushfire management committees are consistent with the State Bushfire Management Plan;
to oversee the implementation of the State Bushfire Management Plan and to report to the Minister on any failure or delay in relation to the implementation of the plan;
to prepare, or initiate the development of, other plans, policies, practices, codes of practice or strategies to promote effective bushfire management within the State;
to promote public awareness of the need to ensure proper bushfire management within the State;
to report at the request of the Minister, or on its own initiative, on any matter relevant to bushfire management.

The SACFS is required to provide executive support to the SBCC under the Act.

The State Bushfire Coordination Committee is, in the performance of its functions, subject to the general direction and control of the Minister (but the Minister cannot give a direction with respect to any advice or recommendation that the State Bushfire Coordination Committee might give or make or with respect to the contents of any report).

Procedural support for governance arrangements for both the SBCC and BMCs is provided in a handbook. This Handbook will be subject to change as the actions in the State Bushfire Management Plan 2021-2025 review of SBCC and BMC governance arrangements are implemented.

Members

Members of the SBCC and Deputies to the Member are appointed by the Governor of South Australia for a three-year term (or the remainder thereof). The current term, which commenced on 14 November 2023 and concludes on 13 November 2026, is the seventh term of the Committee appointed by the Governor.

Attorney-General's Department - Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation

Dr Cherrie De Leiuen - Member

Mr Toby Forde - Deputy

Bureau of Meteorology

Ms Kylie Egan - Member

Mr Jon Fischer - Deputy

Country Fire Service Volunteers Association

Mr Andrew Cadd - Member

Mr David Lindner - Deputy

Conservation Council of South Australia

Position vacant - Member

Position vacant - Deputy

Department for Environment and Water

Ms Fiona Gill - Member

Position vacant - Deputy

Department of Infrastructure and Transport

Dr Ana Glavinic - Member

Ms Karen Lee-Jones - Deputy

Department of Primary Industries and Regions

Ms Laura Bruce - Member

Ms Elena Petrenas - Deputy

ForestrySA

Ms Monique Blason - Member

Mr Peter Merry - Deputy

Landscape SA

Mr Michael Garrod - Member

Mr Will Durack - Deputy

Local Government Association of South Australia

Cr Paul Yeomans - Member

Cr Heidi Greaves - Deputy

Native Vegetation Council

Ms Marilyn Henderson - Member

Ms Gayle Grieger - Deputy

Outback Communities Authority

Ms Jan Ferguson OAM - Member

Mr Tony Vaughan ASM - Deputy

Planning and Land Use Services - Department for Trade and Investment

Ms Sarah Elding - Member

Mr Jeffery Sewart - Deputy

Primary Producers South Australia

Prof Simon Maddocks - Member

Mr Ben Browne - Deputy

SA Country Fire Service

Ms Alison May - Member

Mr Brenton Hastie - Deputy

SA Metropolitan Fire Service

Mr Peter Button - Member

Mr Phil Kilsby - Deputy

SA Police

Assistant Commissioner
Philip Newitt - Member

Position vacant - Deputy

SA Power Networks

Ms Vlora Dzeladini - Member

Ms Ali Walsh - Deputy

SA Water

Dr Brooke Swaffer - Member

Mr James Crocker - Deputy

Meeting schedule

The SBCC meets quarterly.

Communiques are issued following each meeting.

SBCC Meeting 7/6 21 Feb, 2025
SBCC Meeting 7/7 23 May, 2025
SBCC Meeting 7/8 22 Aug, 2025
SBCC Meeting 7/9 21 Nov, 2025

Meeting communiques

The communique provides a summary of the deliberations of the Committee at each of its formal meetings. This assist in communicating the general directions of the Committee between meetings, and ahead of the endorsement of meeting minutes, noting that the Committee meets quarterly.

More communiques

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