Public Safety Industry Reference Committee (IRC)
The Public Safety IRC is made up of industry leaders and experts and acts as a conduit between the Public Safety industries and the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC).
Australia’s Public Safety industry is highly diverse and comprises of police, fire and land management agencies, maritime rescue, emergency services, emergency management agencies, biosecurity agencies, Defence, and associated administrative and support functions.
The Public Safety IRC are responsible for ensuring Public Safety Training Packages meet the needs of the industry. They are responsible for nationally recognised Vocational Education and Training (VET) components in the following Training Packages:
- PUA Public Safety
- POL Police
- DEF Defence
The Committee
Chair: Mark Burgess, Police Federation of Australia
Deputy Chair: Lynda Douglas, Department of Defence
Committee members:
Ed Starinskas, United Firefighters Union of Australia (UFUA)
Carola Washbourne, Emergency Management
Ian Gabites, Volunteer Firefighting
Jack Dawes, Australian Government, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry
Jacqueline Durand, Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency (ANZPAA)
Shay Deguara, Community and Public Sector Union
Paul Wallworth, Australian Council of State & Territory Emergency Services (ACSES)
Sandra Lunardi, Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC)
Stephen Leahy, Aquatic and Marine Search and Rescue
David Everitt, Defence Force Welfare Association
Mark Burgess
Public Safety Industry Reference Committee Chair
Mark Burgess joined the New South Wales Police in 1988. In May 1998 he was elected President of the NSW Police Association and in December 2000 took up the role of Chief Executive Officer of the Police Federation of Australia (PFA), the ‘National Voice of Policing’. Mark retired from the PFA in September 2018.
Whilst PFA CEO Mark also served on the Executive committee of the International Council of Police Representative Associations (ICPRA) representing the Australasia region.
He currently runs his own consulting firm specialising in public policy development and government relations.
Mark brings a wealth of diverse experience to the work of the Public Safety IRC and is a passionate advocate for Vocational Educational and Training.
IRC Meeting Minutes
Summary minutes are shared for all IRC meetings to provide a high level summary of key issues discussed.
Paschal Somers
Industry Skills Manager - Aviation, Corrections, Defence and Public Safety
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 0439 975 796
Karen Thomson
Industry Skills Specialist - Correctional Services and Police
