Insurance Council of Australia: Resilience NSW, a Great Step Forward for Disaster Prevention and Recovery

SYDNEY, Australia, April 7 -- The Insurance Council of Australia issued the following news release:

The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) welcomes the formation of Resilience NSW, a new agency focused on preparedness and disaster recovery for NSW.

The ICA is also pleased Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons, one of Australia's most trusted emergency services leaders, will head the new agency after retiring as Commissioner of the NSW Rural Fire Service.

ICA Head of Risk and Operations Karl Sullivan said: "It is the right time to establish a new agency as we all work together to tackle the issues arising from COVID-19, while still supporting the hundreds of communities that have felt the impact of bushfires, hailstorms, floods and storms during the 2019-2020 season of natural disasters.

"Commissioner Fitzsimmons, an expert in natural disaster preparation, prevention and management, is the ideal person to head Resilience NSW.

"The formation of Resilience NSW is a great step forward and the NSW Government has selected the perfect professional to run it. The ICA looks forward to working closely with Commissioner Fitzsimmons and his agency to help communities reduce their vulnerability and bounce back faster when disasters occurs."

Resilience NSW will oversee and coordinate emergency management policy, service delivery and all aspects of disaster recovery at a state, national and international level.

The ICA also congratulates Rob Rogers for his promotion to Commissioner of the NSW Rural Fire Service.