The document outlines the agenda for the 2015 NSW Rural Fire Service Leadership Forum to be held in Dubbo from May 7-9, featuring presentations and workshops on topics like leading change, constructive subversion, leading remote rural brigades, and hazard reduction, with keynote speakers Dr. Simon Longstaff and Corporal Mark Donaldson VC.

1. leading for
success
LEADERSHIP FORUM
DUBBO 7-9 MAY

2. 2 NSW RURAL FIRE SERVICE – LEADERSHIP FORUM 2015
Commissioner’s Foreword
Welcome to the 2015 NSW RFS Leadership Forum.
Text
Shane Fitzsimmons AFSM
Commissioner

3. Forum Presenters 2015
Simon’s distinguished career includes being named as one of AFR Boss True
Leaders for the 21st century with Carol Schwartz noting "…I don’t know one
CEO or chairman in corporate Australia who has not worked with Simon
Longstaff".
Simon has a PhD in Philosophy from Cambridge. Prior to becoming the
inaugural Executive Director of The Ethics Centre in 1991, he worked
in the Northern Territory in the Safety Department of BHP subsidiary,
GEMCO, lectured at Cambridge University and consulted to the Cambridge
Commonwealth and Overseas Trusts. His book Hard Cases, Tough Choices
was published in 1997. Simon was inaugural President of The Australian
Association for Professional & Applied Ethics and is a Fellow of the World
Economic Forum.
He is Chairman of Woolworths Limited Corporate Responsibility Panel,
the International Advisory Board of the Genographic Project and Deputy
Chairman of the Global Reporting Initiative Board. He also serves on a
number of Boards and Committees including the Australian Institute of
Company Directors Corporate Governance Committee, BHP Billiton Forum
on Corporate Responsibility, AusAID Business Steering Committee, Business
Reporting Leaders Forum, Primary Ethics Board and the Nestle Oceania
Creating Shared Value Advisory Board.
Andrew Singh is the Director Business Development at the Australian
Institute of Police Management. Andrew works directly with public safety
agencies including police, emergency service and public sector in helping
to build their leadership capacity. Since 2005 he has overseen the launch of
the majority of the AIPM program suite including the Leadership in Counter
Terrorism program, Regional Executive Leadership Program, Strategic
Command Program, Bridging the Gap, Nexus, Balance, Evolve and Custodian.
Andrew has delivered on AIPM programs in the US, Indonesia, Solomon
Islands, Micronesia and across Australia.
In previous lives, Andrew was a Federal Agent in the Australian Federal
Police for 17 years, leaving as a Detective Superintendent, including
secondments to ASIO and the Australian Customs Service. After leaving the
AIPM, Andrew was a senior manager with the Australian Graduate School of
Management working with private sector clients such as Telstra, Rio Tinto,
ANZ and Foxtel. The global financial crisis saw Andrew redirect his focus to
the management of family businesses.
Andrew has a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts (Arab and Islamic Studies)
from the Australian National University, a Graduate Diploma of Information
Systems from Canberra University and a Graduate Certificate of Applied
Management from the AIPM.
Andrew is a keen kayaker and an active member of community based sports
organisations including Maccabi NSW, PaddleNSW and the River Canoe Club.
Dr Simon Longstaff AO
Executive Director, St
James Ethics Centre
Andrew Singh
Director Business
Development, Australian
Institute of Police
Management
3NSW RURAL FIRE SERVICE – LEADERSHIP FORUM 2015

4. The Foundation is led by Matt Linnegar, who carries years of experience
in rural, agricultural and representative roles, and is himself a Fellow of the
Australian Rural Leadership Program (ARLP).
Matt joined the Foundation in mid-2014 after a successful three-year period
as CEO of the National Farmers' Federation, He brings almost 20 years in
agricultural representation - including roles in irrigation, rice, and meat and
livestock industries.
He has held an array of roles in leadership and management, including as
General Manager, Corporate and Customer Operations at Murrumbidgee
Irrigation Limited and Executive Director, Ricegrower’s Association of
Australia.
Matt holds a degree in Applied Science (Systems Agriculture) from the
University of Western Sydney (Hawkesbury), is a graduate of Course 7 of the
ARLP and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Larissa Cook has over 20 years' experience as a litigator specialising
in product liability litigation and class actions. Larissa has a particular
expertise in the pharmaceutical and medical devices industries where her
experience ranges from defending large-scale product liability class actions
and commercial litigation to advising on regulatory issues, from clinical
trials, registration and listing, to advertising and labelling requirements, and
product safety issues, including product recalls.
Arising out of her pharmaceutical and medical device expertise, Larissa also
has extensive experience in Coronial Inquests and commissions of inquiry -
having appeared as counsel on behalf of government agencies and not for
profit organisations.
Larissa has acted for the NSW Rural Fire Service since its inception
in 1997 and advises the Service in relation to a broad range of issues,
particularly those affecting volunteers (such as grievances and discipline
and membership). Larissa has appeared as counsel for the Service in
the Anti-Discrimination Board and the NSW Civil and Administrative
Tribunal (formerly the Administrative Decisions Tribunal). Larissa has
also represented individual members under the Legal Assistance Service
Standard.
Larissa is admitted to practice in both Australia and the United Kingdom and
has also worked extensively in co-operation with counsel in the US and the
EU.
Matt Linnegar
Chief Executive, Australian
Rural Leadership
Foundation
Larissa Cook
Special Counsel, Clayton
Utz
4 NSW RURAL FIRE SERVICE – LEADERSHIP FORUM 2015

5. Mark Donaldson VC is a remarkable young man that has lived life to the full
from a very early age.
On 2 September 2008 in a valley in eastern Afghanistan, Trooper Mark
Donaldson made a split second decision that would change his life. His
display of extraordinary courage that day saw him awarded the Australian
Victoria Cross for Gallantry - the ultimate symbol of heroism.
Yet Mark’s journey to those crucial moments in Afghanistan was almost as
exceptional as the acts that led to his VC.
He was a rebellious teenager who lost his Vietnam veteran father in mid
teens and a few years later his mother disappeared, presumed murdered.
A young man was at the crossroads. He had a choice, a life of self-
destructiveness and petty crime or change the pattern. Mark chose the Army.
It turned out to be a wonderful alternative and truly inspiring for the youth of
Australia.
Mark Donaldson was a natural soldier who excelled in the training and
discipline of Army life. He set himself goals and planned a program that
would see him pass the most rigorous of mental and physical tests to
become a member of Australia’s elite Special Air Service (SAS). He took no
short cuts.
Tours of East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan followed and Mark carries the
reminder of how luck can be an important ingredient in success. A bullet
remains lodged in his leg to this day to keep him focussed.
Mark Donaldson VC knows what it takes to lead. He knows what it is like to
take responsibility for personal and team success. He knows how crucial
effective communication is to the success of any plan. Mark knows what
makes an effective team. He knows how critical it is for leaders to be agile
in their decision making and how important resilience is in both the planning
and implementation phases of an operation. In his world, lives depend on it.
Mark Donaldson VC is married with two children. He continues to serve in the
SAS. He has authored a best selling book “ The Cross Road - a story of life,
death and the SAS” and he is the Patron of ‘Soldier On’, a philanthropic group
assisting soldiers to settle back into Australian life after being in harms way
on duty overseas.
Mark Donaldson VC is a man that makes Australia very proud.
Corporal Mark
Donaldson VC
Australian Army
5NSW RURAL FIRE SERVICE – LEADERSHIP FORUM 2015

6. Sarah Goulden
Rural Resilience Officer
NSW Department of
Primary Industries
Sarah Goulden has extensive experience in business, particularly
management, development and financial planning. Sarah has assisted many
farmers and small businesses across Far Western NSW.
Sarah worked as a Rural Financial Counsellor for eight years, and has recently
become one of the newest and youngest members of the Rural Resilience
Team with NSW Department of Primary Industries.
Sarah believes it is extremely important to listen to the needs and concerns
of individual farmers and farming communities in order to develop a
thorough understanding of the many complex issues which they face.
In her new role Sarah is focused on strengthening and supporting farming
networks, delivering programs to farming communities which build capacity
& new skills, as well as development of new industries & acting as a conduit
of information between government, industry and community.
Sarah also manages her business “Poetry On A Plate” in Bourke. Three
nights a week from April until October travellers & locals gather beside the
campfires to listen to stories & poems which highlight contemporary life in
Western NSW.
Long term Sarah would like to see a revival of Outback NSW through
economic diversification and growth, connected healthy community
members, and an increase in population rather than decline.
About the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC
The Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre draws together all of Australia and New
Zealand's fire and emergency service agencies with the leading experts across a range of scientific fields to
explore the causes, consequences and mitigation of natural disasters.
About AFAC
The Australasian Fire and Emergency Services Authorities Council is the lead industry body for fire and
emergency services in Australasia, committed to strengthening the industry through sharing, collaboration
and innovation.
6 NSW RURAL FIRE SERVICE – LEADERSHIP FORUM 2015

7. Leadership Forum Exhibitors
Terrace
BNHCRC and AFAC
Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre
Australasian Fire Authorities Council
Corporate Communications
Useful tools and resources to assist NSW RFS members
Key communication and engagement initiatives
Infrastructure Services Directorate
PPE range and PPC review
Station and FCC range
Project Planning Communications Project, Enterprise Asset Management (EAM)
Membership and Strategic Services Directorate
Youth Participation Project, Supportive Employer Program
Site Management Plans, health based initiatives
Leadership and Incident Control Training Programs
Operations Directorate
Aviation, fire investigation, centralised dispatch, CAD
Remote Area Firefighting and Specialised Operations
Remote Area Firefighting and Specialised Operations
Rural Fire Service Association (RFSA)
RFSA Membership
7NSW RURAL FIRE SERVICE – LEADERSHIP FORUM 2015

8. NSW RURAL FIRE SERVICE – LEADERSHIP FORUM DRAFT PROGRAM 1 of 3
NSW RFS Leadership Forum: LEADING FOR SUCCESS
Dubbo RSL Club - Cnr Brisbane & Wingewarra Streets, Dubbo
2015 Leadership Forum Agenda
Thursday 7 May 2015
Dress code: Smart casual
Optional session for early arrivals:
11:00 – 12:30 Change It Up NSW RFS - Young Members Forum Presentation
Participants from the Young Members Forum will pitch their ideas for engaging youth in the NSW RFS to a panel of judges.
Leadership Forum attendees are encouraged to join the audience.
Friday 8 May 2015
Dress code: Uniform
Time Session Venue
08:00 – 08:30 Coffee and Exhibition viewing
Terrace / Round
Room
08:30 – 09:30
Leading Change
Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers AFSM, Executive Director Operations and
Assistant Commissioner Bruce McDonald AFSM, Executive Director Infrastructure
Services
(includes Q and A)
Theatrette
09:30 – 10:30
On Constructive Subversion
Keynote Speaker - Dr Simon Longstaff, AO
Executive Director, St James Ethics Centre
Theatrette
10:30 – 10:55 Morning Tea and Exhibition viewing
Terrace / Round
Room
Time Session Venue
16:00 – 18:00 Registration
Outside
Jacaranda
Room
18:30 – 18:35 Welcome to Country – Diane McNaboe Theatrette
18:35 – 18:45
Welcome
Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers, AFSM
Theatrette
18:45 – 18:55
Mr Tim Arnott
President, Rural Fire Service Association
Theatrette
18:55 – 19:45 Welcome reception and canapés
Terrace /
Round Room
19:45 Dinner Auditorium
LEADERSHIP FORUM AGENDA
8 NSW RURAL FIRE SERVICE – LEADERSHIP FORUM 2015

9. 11:00 – 11:55
Stream Session
Participants attend all three sessions. Session based on their group allocation.
Various
Session A – Group 1 Session B – Group 2 Session C – Group 3
Leading Remote Rural
Brigades
Punxsutawney
Leadership
Positive Leadership
Host:
Superintendent Chris
Favelle, Team Manager
Far West Team
Host:
Chief Superintendent
John Parnaby, Director
Assets and Infrastructure
Host:
Kristine Wendtman,
Supervisor Volunteer
Relations and Workforce
Planning
Presenters:
Superintendent Paul
Whitely, Operations
Manager Region West
Group Captain Rick
Howard, Far West
Team
Group Captain Tony
Lord, Far West Team
Presenter:
Andrew Singh, Director
Business Development,
Australian Institute of
Police Management
(AIPM)
Presenter:
Captain Rick Jones
(Warringah Pittwater District)
Jacaranda Room Theatrette Starlite Rooms 2 / 3
12:00 – 12:45 Lunch and Exhibition Viewing
Auditorium/
Terrace/ Round
Room
12:45 – 13:30
“The Socially Responsible Leader” – exploring core attributes of good leadership
Matt Linnegar
Chief Executive, Australian Rural Leadership Foundation
Theatrette
13:30 – 14:25
Repeated Streamed Session
Participants attend all three sessions. Session based on their group allocation. Various
Session A – Group 2 Session B – Group 3 Session C – Group 1
14:30 – 15:25
Repeated Streamed Session
Participants attend all three sessions. Session based on their group allocation. Various
Session A – Group 3 Session B – Group 1 Session C – Group 2
15:30 – 15:50 Afternoon Tea and Exhibition viewing
Terrace / Round
Room
15:50 – 16:50
Hazard Reduction – works for people too
Larissa Cook
Special Counsel, Clayton Utz
Theatrette
16:50 – 17:00
Close
Assistant Commissioner Bruce McDonald AFSM,
Executive Director Infrastructure Services
Theatrette
Official Forum Dinner Dress code: Smart casual
19:00
Opening Address – Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons AFSM
Guest Speaker – Corporal Mark Donaldson VC
Dinner MC – Brad Scutella, Executive Director Executive Services
Auditorium
NSW RURAL FIRE SERVICE – LEADERSHIP FORUM DRAFT PROGRAM 1 of 3
Friday 8 May 2015
Dress code: Uniform
Time Session Venue
08:00 – 08:30 Coffee and Exhibition viewing
Terrace / Round
Room
08:30 – 09:30
Leading Change
Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers AFSM, Executive Director Operations and
Assistant Commissioner Bruce McDonald AFSM, Executive Director Infrastructure
Services
(includes Q and A)
Theatrette
09:30 – 10:30
On Constructive Subversion
Keynote Speaker - Dr Simon Longstaff, AO
Executive Director, St James Ethics Centre
Theatrette
10:30 – 10:55 Morning Tea and Exhibition viewing
Terrace / Round
Room
18:45 – 18:55
President, Rural Fire Service Association
Theatrette
18:55 – 19:45 Welcome reception and canapés
Terrace /
Round Room
19:45 Dinner Auditorium
9NSW RURAL FIRE SERVICE – LEADERSHIP FORUM 2015

10. NSW RURAL FIRE SERVICE – LEADERSHIP FORUM DRAFT PROGRAM 3 of 3
Saturday 9 May 2015
Dress code: Uniform
Time Session Venue
08:00 – 08:30 Coffee Round Room
08:30 – 08:35
Contextualising the day
Bronwyn Jones, Executive Director Membership and Strategic Services
Theatrette
08:35 – 09:15
Boss, Mentor, Coach, Leader which way is the Service Going?
Brian Millar, Deputy Group Captain, Southern Border Team
Theatrette
09:15 – 09:50
Streamed Workshops Sessions
Choose two out of the three sessions. The DISC workshop is available via pre-booked
selection
Various
DISC Workshop
Am I a Safety
Leader?
Leading Purpose-
Driven
Communications
Balancing Gender in
Leadership
Host: Peter
Carter, Manager
Learning and
Development
(L&D)
Facilitators: Kevin
White, L&D
Officer and Aaron
McGifford, NSW
State Emergency
Service
Note: This is a
pre-booked
workshop
previously opened
for nominations
and runs 9:30-
10:35 with pre-
workshop online
questionnaire
required
Host: Danny
Moroney,
Director
Membership
Services
Presenter: David
Heslop,
Manager Health,
Safety and
Welfare
Host: Pip Baume,
Manager
Organisational
Communications
Presenter:
Anthony Clark,
Director Corporate
Communications
Host: Stephen
Glassock, Director
Corporate Planning,
Governance and
Learning
Presenters: Group
Captain Kelly Browne,
Sutherland District and
Superintendent Martin
Surrey, Manager
Southern Highlands
Theatrette Tom Yeo Room Starlite Room 2/3
09:50 – 10:25
Am I a Safety
Leader?
Leading Purpose-
Driven
Communications
Balancing Gender in
Leadership
Various
Host: Danny
Moroney,
Director
Membership
Services
Presenter: David
Heslop,
Manager Health,
Safety and
Welfare
Host: Pip Baume,
Manager
Organisational
Communications
Presenter:
Anthony Clark,
Director Corporate
Communications
Host: Stephen
Glassock, Director
Corporate Planning,
Governance and
Learning
Presenters: Group
Captain Kelly Browne,
Sutherland District and
Superintendent Martin
Surrey, Manager
Southern Highlands
Jacaranda Room Theatrette Tom Yeo Room Starlite Room 2/3
10:30 – 11:00 Morning Tea
Terrace /
Round Room
11:00 – 11:30
Supportive Leadership
Sarah Goulden
Rural Resilience Officer, NSW Department of Primary Industries
Theatrette
11:30 – 12:15
Official address and forum close
Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons AFSM
Theatrette
12:15 – 13:00 Lunch
Terrace or Take
Away
Agenda subject to change
10 NSW RURAL FIRE SERVICE – LEADERSHIP FORUM 2015

11. Auditorium
Jacaranda
Round
Room
Starlites
Terrace
(outdoors)
Theatrette
Tom
Yeo
Cocktail
FloorPlanConferenceFacilitiesLevelOne
11NSW RURAL FIRE SERVICE – LEADERSHIP FORUM 2015

12. Postal address
NSW Rural Fire Service
Locked Bag 17
GRANVILLE NSW 2142
Street address
NSW Rural Fire Service
15 Carter Street
LIDCOMBE NSW 2141
T (02) 8741 5555
F (02) 8741 5550
www.rfs.nsw.gov.au