Resilience  and  recovery  in  the  context  
of  emergencies  and  natural  disasters  
2020  Victorian  Community  Sector  Education  Forum    
supported  by  the  Department  of  Education  and  Training  
 
Wednesday  7  October  2020,  9.00am  –  1.00pm  
 

Time   Activity   Speaker(s)  

     
9.00am   W elcome  to  Country     Uncle  Bill  Nicholson  
Wurundjeri  Tribe  Council  
 
9.05am   W elcome  and  VCOSS  opening   Emma  King,  CEO,  VCOSS  
 
   
9.10am   Departm ent  of  Education  and  Training   Jenny  Atta,  Secretary,  
address   Department  of  Education  and  
  Training  
     
 
9.15am   M inister  M erlino’s  address   Deputy  Premier,  Minister  for  
  Education,  Minister  for  the  
  Coordination  of  Education  and  
Training:  COVID-­‐19,  
Minister  for  Mental  Health,  The  
Hon.  James  M erlino  MP    
 
9.22am   M inister  Tierney’s  address   Minister  for  Training  and  Skills,  
  Minister  for  Higher  Education,  The  
  Hon.  Gayle  Tierney  MLC  
 
9.29am   Q&A  with  the  M inisters     Facilitated  by  Emma  King,    
CEO,  VCOSS  
 

10.00am          Stretch  break  

     
10.10am   Keynote  address:  Learning  in  turbulent   Issy  Orosz  
times:      
a  student’s  perspective  on  the  pandemic    
 
 
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10.30am   Expert  student  panel:  Young  people’s   • Destiny  Harrison  
experiences  and  reflections  of    
emergencies  and  disasters   • Linh  Dang  
   
Insights  from  students  about  their  lived  experience   • Sienna  Gladstone  
and  what  they  want  school  leaders  and  staff,    
community  workers  and  emergency  managers  to   • Kaitlyne  Bowden    
know  about  and  respond  to.    
  Facilitated  by  Emma  King,  CEO,  
VCOSS  

11.00am          Stretch  break  

     
11.10am   Future  focus  –  what  have  we  learnt,  where   Facilitated  by  Justin  M cDonnell,  
do  we  want  to  be?  Planning  for  recovery   Acting  Executive  Director,  
and  for  the  next  emergency  or  natural   Wellbeing,  Health  and  
disaster:  Access  and  Inclusion   Engagement,  DET  
   
This  session  will  reflect  on  the  interface  between   Panellists:  
the  education,  community  services  and  emergency    
management  systems/sectors  –     • Lionel  Bamblett,  
  General  Manager,  
What’s  working  well?  What  can  we  do  to  improve   Victorian  Aboriginal  
our  responsiveness  to,  and  outcomes  for,  children   Education  Association  
and  young  people?   Incorporated  
 
• Dr  Anne  Kennedy,  Early  
Childhood  Consultant  
 
• Jacqui  Gore,  Teacher,  
Brauer  Secondary  College  
 
• M ichael  Perusco,  
CEO,  Berry  Street  
 
• Dr  Robyn  M iller,  CEO,  
MacKillop  Family  Services  
 

11.55am          Stretch  break  

     
12.05pm   Balancing  Resilience  and  Vulnerability  in   Dr  Rob  Gordon    
Children  and  Young  People’s  developm ent    
after  Disasters  
 
 
12.25pm   Q&A  with  Dr  Rob  Gordon  and  M ichelle   Facilitated  by  Emma  King  
Roberts    
   
12.50pm   Close   Emma  King,  CEO,  VCOSS  
 

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Our  speakers    
 
James  Merlino  MP  
Deputy  Premier    
Minister  for  Education  
Minister  for  the  Coordination  of  Education  and  Training:  COVID-­‐19  
Minister  for  Mental  Health  
 
Deputy  Premier  Merlino  was  elected  to  the  Victorian  Parliament  as  the  
  Member  for  Monbulk  in  2002.  He  has  been  the  Minister  for  Education  
  since  December  2014.  
 
Deputy  Premier  Merlino  previously  served  as  the  Minister  for  Sport,  
Recreation  and  Youth  Affairs  from  December  2006  to  December  2010,  
Minister  Assisting  the  Premier  on  Multicultural  Affairs  from  August  2007  
to  December  2010  and  Minister  for  Police  and  Minister  for  Corrections  
from  October  to  December  2010.  
 
 
 
Gayle  Tierney  MP  
Minister  for  Training  and  Skills  and  
Minister  for  Higher  Education  
 
Minister  Tierney  was  elected  to  the  Victorian  Parliament  as  the  Member  
for  Western  Victoria  in  2006.  She  has  been  the  Minister  for  Training  and  
Skills  since  November  2016  and  Minister  for  Higher  Education  since  
  November  2018.  
 
Minister  Tierney  previously  served  as  the  Cabinet  Secretary  and  Deputy  
President  of  the  Victorian  Legislative  Council.  She  was  Deputy  Chair  of  the  
Education  and  Training  Parliamentary  Committee  from  February  2010  to  
June  2013  and  was  Deputy  Chair  of  the  Rural  and  Regional  Parliamentary  
Committee  from  March  2007  to  November  2010.  
 
 

Jenny  Atta  
Secretary,  Department  of  Education  and  Training    
 
Jenny  Atta  has  been  the  Secretary  of  the  Department  since  March  2019.  
Jenny  joined  the  Department  in  December  2015,  as  Deputy  Secretary,  
Infrastructure  and  Finance  Services  Group.    
   
  In  this  role,  she  was  responsible  for  the  management  and  oversight  of  the  
Department’s  financial,  procurement  and  information  technology  
services,  along  with  strategic  advice  and  planning  for  state  budget  
processes,  and  infrastructure  policy  and  delivery  across  the  education  
and  training  portfolio.  
 
 
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 Jenny  has  many  years’  experience  in  senior  public  service  leadership  
roles,  notably  at  the  Department  of  Treasury  and  Finance  where  she  led  
the  portfolio  analysis  function  within  Budget  and  Finance.  
 
   
Emma  King  
CEO,  Victorian  Council  of  Social  Service  
 
Emma  King  joined  the  Victorian  Council  of  Social  Service  (VCOSS)  as  Chief  
Executive  Officer  in  2013,  providing  a  strong  voice  of  leadership  and  
advocacy  on  social  justice  issues  for  the  community  sector.  
   
Emma  was  previously  Chief  Executive  Officer  of  the  Early  Learning  
Association  Australia  (formerly  Kindergarten  Parents  Victoria),  the  peak  
organisation  representing  parents  and  providers  of  early  learning  services  
in  Victoria.    
 
Emma  also  has  an  extensive  background  in  the  public  sector  and  in  
workforce  and  education  issues,  having  worked  as  a  Victorian  policy  
adviser,  a  teacher,  and  in  a  range  of  industrial  and  training  roles  at  the  
Victorian  Independent  Education  Union  and  the  Finance  Sector  Union.  
Emma’s  qualifications  include  a  Masters  in  Industrial  and  Employee  
Relations,  a  Graduate  Diploma  of  Education  and  a  Bachelor  of  Arts.  
 
Emma  represents  VCOSS  on  a  range  of  ministerial  advisory  groups  and  
committees.  She  is  also  the  Chair  of  the  Future  Social  Service  Institute,  
President  of  the  Farnham  Street  Neighbourhood  Learning  Centre  and  
Board  Member  of  Mental  Health  Victoria.  
 
Emma  is  a  regular  commentator  on  social  affairs  and  justice  issues.  
 
 
 
Issy  Orosz  
Year  12  student  
Centre  for  Adult  Education,  Youth  Disability  Advocacy  Service  
 
Issy  (they/them)  is  a  17-­‐year-­‐old  disabled  and  queer  young  person  
currently  doing  VCE  Year  12  at  a  TAFE.  They  work  for  the  Youth  Disability  
Advocacy  Service  as  well  as  are  a  freelance  writer  and  are  passionate  
  about  inclusive  education,  disability  pride  and  intersectionality,  among  
other  things.  
 
 

Destiny  Harrison  
Year  11  student  
Bairnsdale  Secondary  College  and  Koorie  Academy  of  Excellence  
 
Destiny  is  a  Year  11  student  who  has  continued  to  shine  through  her  
studies  enduring  not  only  the  coronavirus  pandemic,  but  also  the  
  bushfires  that  devastated  her  region  at  the  beginning  of  this  year.    
   
  Destiny  is  the  first  Koorie  recipient  of  the  Arthur  Grassby  scholarship  
which  will  take  her  to  complete  the  Kokoda  Trail  in  Papua  New  Guinea  in  
July  2021,  to  research  and  gain  insight  into  the  connection  between  
Gippsland  and  the  Kokoda  Trail  and  the  sacrifices  made  by  those  from  her  
community  so  young  people  can  enjoy  the  lives  they  live  today.  
 

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Linh  Dang  
Year  10  student  
VicSRC  Student  Executive  Committee    
 
Linh  is  a  year  10  student  from  a  government  school  in  inner  Melbourne.    
Linh  firmly  believes  that  students  should  have  a  say  in  their  own  
education.  
   
She  is  incredibly  excited  to  work  alongside  the  VicSRC  team  to  represent  
student  voices  across  Victoria  and  make  change  where  it's  needed  to  
provide  all  students  with  equal  opportunity.    
 
 
 
Sienna  Gladstone  
Year  9  student  
VicSRC  Student  Executive  Committee  
 
Sienna  is  a  year  9  student  from  South  West  Victoria.  Sienna  hopes  for  an  
idealistic  future  for  the  generations  to  come.  Her  passion  for  student  
voice  stems  from  the  fact  that  not  everyone  can  express  how  they  feel,  
  therefore  taking  away  valuable  opportunities  from  students  who  deserve  
  them  all  the  same.  Her  aim  is  to  one  day,  make  education  equal  for  
  everyone  involved.  
   
   
  Kaitlyne  Bowden  
With  lived  experiences  of  family  violence,  out-­‐of-­‐home  care  and  
alternative  education,  Kaitlyne  draws  from  these  experiences  to  educate  
about  and  stand  up  for  those  who  are  facing  social  and  systemic  
injustices.  She  has  a  background  of  working  and  volunteering  in  non-­‐
profit  organisations,  in  addition  to  having  Youth  Work  certifications  from  
RMIT  University.  She  has  experience  running  youth  engagement  and  
  development  workshops,  consulting  on  and  co-­‐designing  statewide  policy  
reforms  as  well  as  peer  mentoring  for  organisations  such  as  Berry  Street  
as  a  Y-­‐Change  Lived  Experience  Consultant  and  at  the  Foundation  for  
Young  Australians  as  a  YLab  Associate.  Kaitlyne  also  sits  as  one  of  the  
Youth  and  Young  Person  representatives  on  the  Victim  Survivors’  
Advisory  Council  (VSAC),  where  she  advises  on  the  Royal  Commission  into  
Family  Violence  recommendations  and  family  violence  service  system  
reform.  

 
   

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Justin  McDonnell  
Executive  Director,  Wellbeing,  Health  and  Engagement  Division,  
Department  of  Education  and  Training  
 
Justin  McDonnell  is  the  acting  Executive  Director  of  the  Wellbeing  Health  
and  Engagement  Division,  having  been  a  Director  in  the  Division  since  
2016.  His  work  has  included  leadership  of  student  mental  health  policy,  
  engagement,  anti-­‐bullying,  child  safety  and  respectful  relationships.  
   
  Mr  McDonnell  has  worked  in  several  social  policy  roles  in  Western  
  Australia,  the  United  Kingdom  and  Victoria.  Before  joining  the  
  Department,  he  worked  on  emergency  management,  justice  and  family  
  violence  policy  at  the  Victorian  Department  of  Premier  and  Cabinet,  
including  supporting  the  Government’s  input  into  the  Royal  Commission  
 
into  Family  Violence.  
   
   
   
 
Lionel  Bamblett  
General  Manager,  Victorian  Aboriginal  Education  Association  
Incorporated  (VAEAI)  
 
Lionel  Bamblett  is  the  General  Manager  of  the  Victorian  Aboriginal  
  Education  Association  Incorporated  (VAEAI).  
   
A  Wiradjuri/Yorta  Yorta/Bangerang  man,  Lionel  has  been  involved  in  
Koorie  education  for  over  30  years  and  was  appointed  the  first  General  
Manager  of  the  Victorian  Aboriginal  Education  Association  Incorporated  
in  1985.  
 
Lionel  has  provided  advice  to  successive  governments  in  Victoria  on  
measures  to  improve  education  and  training  opportunities  for  Koorie  
people  in  Victoria,  and  has  played  a  prominent  role  in  promoting  
Indigenous  education  and  training  issues  at  a  local,  State  and  National  
level.  He  was  a  member  of  the  National  Aboriginal  Reference  Group  
which  played  a  key  role  in  the  development  of  the  National  Aboriginal  
and  Torres  Strait  Islander  Education  Policy  (AEP)  in  1989,  which  is  still  
current  today.    
 
Lionel  has  seen  VAEAI  established  as  the  peak  body  for  Koorie  education  
and  training  in  Victoria,  and  as  an  equal  partner  with  the  Victorian  
Government  in  Koorie  education  and  training  since  1990  through  the  
Partnership  in  Education:  Koorie  Education  Policy  and  Yalca:  A  
Partnership  in  Education  and  Training  for  the  New  Millennium  in  2001.    
He  has  also  overseen  the  development  of  the  successful  Wurreker  
strategy  which  formalised  the  equal  partnership  with  the  vocational  
education  and  training  sector  in  Victoria  in  2000,  Wannik:  Education  
Strategy  for  Koorie  Students  in  2008,  and  now  Marrung:  Aboriginal  
Education  Plan  2016-­‐2026.  
 
 
   
   

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Dr  Anne  Kennedy  
University  of  Melbourne  
 
Anne  Kennedy  is  a  respected  and  experienced  early  childhood  academic,  
researcher,  teacher,  advocate,  consultant,  facilitator  and  writer.  Anne  is  a  
fellow  of  the  Graduate  School  of  Education  at  the  University  of  
Melbourne  and  a  former  chairperson  and  life  member  of  Community  
  Child  Care  Association,  Victoria  and  a  life  member  of  FKA  Children’s  
Services,  Victoria.    
 
She  was  a  member  of  the  writing  team  that  developed  Australia’s  first  
national  Early  Years  Learning  Framework  and  has  been  actively  involved  
in  the  development  of  national  and  state  based  resources  and  
professional  development  programs  for  the  early  childhood  sector.    
 
Anne  was  appointed  a  Director  of  the  Board  of  The  Front  Project  in  2019.  
 
 
 
Jacqui  Gore  
Teacher,    Brauer  Secondary  College  
 
Jacqui  has  been  an  educator  for  over  20  years,  spending  time  in  both  
primary  and  secondary  sectors.  Jacqui  is  currently  working  as  a  MYLNS  
literacy  network  teacher  between  two  secondary  schools.  She  has  held  
leadership  positions  in  the  areas  of  wellbeing,  Koorie  education  and  
  Literacy.  Jacqui  has  an  ongoing  passion  for  wellbeing  and  inclusion.  
 
Jacqui  won  the  Award  for  Excellence  at  the  2016  Victorian  Education  
Excellence  Awards.  Jacqui  has  had  opportunities  to  work  with  education  
sectors  in  America,  Finland  and  Singapore  with  a  focus  on  her  student  
wellbeing  program.      
 
 
 
Michael  Perusco  
Chief  Executive  Officer,  Berry  Street  
 
Michael  Perusco  commenced  as  CEO  of  Berry  Street  in  February  2018  –  
TH
the  28  CEO  since  Berry  Street’s  establishment  in  1877.  Michael  has  had  
extensive  experience  working  in  senior  leadership  roles  and  has  been  CEO  
of  the  St  Vincent  de  Paul  Society  NSW  and  Sacred  Heart  Mission  in  
  Victoria.  
 
He  has  also  worked  at  the  Department  of  Prime  Minister  &  Cabinet  
leading  the  social  inclusion  agenda,  not  for  profit  reform  agenda  and  
other  social  policy  areas.      Michael  is  a  member  of  the  Victorian  
Government’s  Roadmap  for  Reform  Ministerial  Advisory  Group  and  the  
Aboriginal  Children’s  Forum  and  is  on  the  Board  of  the  Federal  
Government’s  Australian  Institute  of  Health  and  Welfare  and  the  Centre  
for  Excellence  in  Child  and  Family  Welfare.    
 

 
   

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Dr  Robyn  Miller  
CEO,  MacKillop  Family  Services  
 
Dr  Robyn  Miller  is  a  social  worker  and  family  therapist  with  over  thirty  years’  
experience  in  the  community  sector,  government  and  child  protection.  She  
was  a  senior  clinician  and  teacher  for  fourteen  years  at  the  Bouverie  Family  
Therapy  Centre,  La  Trobe  University,  and  part  of  an  innovative  team  working  
  with  families  who  have  experienced  trauma  and  sexual  abuse.    
 
From  2006-­‐15  Robyn  provided  professional  leadership  as  the  Chief  Practitioner  
within  the  Department  of  Human  Services  in  Victoria,  and  has  also  worked  as  a  
consultant  with  the  Royal  Commission  into  Institutional  Responses  to  Child  
Sexual  Abuse.  Robyn  is  currently  the  CEO  of  MacKillop  Family  Services,  one  of  
the  largest  providers  of  specialist  services  to  vulnerable  and  disadvantaged  
children,  young  people  and  their  families  in  Victoria,  New  South  Wales  and  
Western  Australia.    
 
Robyn  serves  as  Deputy  Chair  of  Catholic  Social  Services  Australia,  and  is  a  
Board  Member  of  Catholic  Professional  Standards  Ltd  and  the  Association  of  
Children’s  Welfare  Agencies  in  NSW.  
 
 
 
Dr  Rob  Gordon  
Clinical  Psychologist  (consultant)  
Dr  Rob  Gordon  is  a  clinical  psychologist  who  has  been  working  in  the  field  of  
disaster  recovery  since  Ash  Wednesday  in  1983.  He  is  a  consultant  to  Red  
Cross,  the  Department  of  Health  and  Human  Services,  the  Department  of  
Education  and  Training  and  Bushfire  Recovery  Victoria.  

  Dr  Gordon  has  worked  with  countless  individuals  and  communities  following  

some  of  the  most  traumatic  events  that  have  directly  affected  Australia  in  
recent  history,  including  the  1996  Port  Arthur  massacre,  the  2002  Bali  
Bombing,  Black  Saturday,  the  Christchurch  Earthquake  as  well  as  numerous  
floods,  fires,  cyclones  and  other  events  throughout  Australia  and  New  Zealand.  
 
 
 
Michelle  Roberts  
Psychologist,  teacher  and  child  disaster  consultant  
 
Starting  her  teaching  career  at  a  school  impacted  directly  by  the  Ash  
Wednesday  bushfires,  Michelle  has  responded  to  disasters  and  critical  
incidents  over  the  past  three  decades,  such  as  bushfires,  droughts,  floods,  
community  mass  casualty  incidents  and  traumatic  deaths  that  impact  on  
  schools’  communities.  Working  for  both  government  and  non-­‐government  
agencies,  she  has  provided  support  and  advice  in  relation  to  children,  young  
people,  community  trauma,  adversity  and  disasters.    
 
Michelle  is  now  a  Senior  Psychologist  with  the  Barrington  Centre,  working  with  
Headspace,  Primary  health  networks,  individuals  and  corporate  clients,  and  
those  impacted  by  the  2019-­‐20  Black  Summer  bushfires  and  the  cascading  
catastrophes  of  pandemic,  drought  and  personal  adversity.  
   
Michelle  is  a  founding  member  of  The  Australian  Child  &  Adolescent  Trauma,  
Loss  and  Grief  Network  (ACATLGN),  and  a  Churchill  Fellow  (2010).  
 
 
 
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