Share your work at DEMC26
Present at Disaster and Emergency Management Conference 2026
Apply To Present
Share your lessons and use your voice, experience and expertise to create positive solutions for your community.
- Share your expertise and knowledge with the wider D&E Management community.
- Have your voice at the front of the conversations shaping the future of the D&E Management sector.
- Inspire your peers with your ideas, insights, research, stories and case studies.
- Build your reputation and enhance your professional profile.
- Build your self-confidence and grow in leadership and influence.
Presenters come from all areas of emergency and disaster management, government, academia and research, culture and community.
Share insights on our core topics
What we’ll cover at DEMC26
The Next Chapter in Emergency Management: Adapting, Learning, Leading
1. Lessons Identified to Lasting Change
Turning lessons identified into lasting change requires robust frameworks, systems, and a culture of continuous improvement. This stream explores how practice, policy, and training can embed learning effectively while overcoming barriers such as resources, politics, and organisational culture.
2. Building and Sustaining the Emergency Management Workforce
Emergency management relies on a skilled, resilient, and future-ready workforce. This theme examines pathways between academia and practice, professional standards, leadership pipelines, workforce wellbeing, and the importance, and evolving roles of volunteers.
3. Community Resilience, Preparedness and Recovery
Communities are equal partners in building resilience and recovery. Topics include volunteer engagement, inclusive recovery for diverse populations, embedding resilience in practice and policy, and fostering trust through effective crisis communication.
4. Politics, Governance and Whole-of-System Coordination
Strong governance and coordination are central to effective emergency management. This theme considers navigating the political interface, strengthening interagency collaboration, aligning funding and priorities, and balancing operational needs with political realities.
5. Hazards on the Horizon: Emerging Threats for Australasia and the Pacific
The risk landscape is evolving, with hazards ranging from climate-driven wildfires to lithium-ion battery fires, pandemics, and regional conflict. This stream addresses multi-hazard preparedness, scenario planning, and insights from national risk and adaptation assessments, alongside considerations of terrorism and civil unrest.
6. Climate Change, Indigenous Knowledge, and Nature-Based Solutions
Responding to climate change should include drawing on Indigenous land and water management, as well as innovative nature-based solutions. This theme explores how adaptation and disaster risk reduction intersect, highlighting partnerships with First Nations communities and examples of success and challenge.
7. Digital Transformation and Technology in Action
Technology is reshaping emergency management through AI, predictive analytics, and digital twins. This stream explores innovations in early warning systems, cyber resilience, data sharing and trust, and the role of digital transformation in planning and response.
8. Business Continuity, Infrastructure and Systems Resilience
Disasters test the resilience of infrastructure, supply chains, and business continuity systems. This theme focuses on private sector partnerships, critical infrastructure protection, interdependencies, and aligning business continuity with emergency management.
9. Human Impacts: Mental Health, Wellbeing and Recovery
Emergencies can leave deep human impacts for responders and communities. This stream examines responder mental health, community trauma and recovery models, moral injury, and cross-sector partnerships to embed psychosocial recovery in disaster planning.
10. Regional and International Perspectives
Disaster management is strengthened by global and regional collaboration. This theme explores lessons identified from Polynesia, Melanesia, and Asia-Pacific, cross-border hazard challenges, virtual engagement with international experts, and opportunities for shared learning.
What to present at DEMC26
What content is best shared at DEMC26?
If you are passionate about creating a healthy, thriving D&E Management sector and you have insights, ideas, research, results or future plans to share - please apply to present now.
The conference committee is looking for presenters who are ready to share:
- Research findings, data and information which could inspire changes in service delivery and help create a sustainable future for the sector.
- Case studies which inspire innovations across digital solutions, service delivery models and community connections.
- Best-practice applications to create immediate improvement for services and platforms.
- Successful D&E Management initiatives and projects which deliver long term success.
- Culturally responsive solutions for Indigenous, First Nations people within D&E Management
- Your case studies, insights and research drawing from lessons of past experiences to increase awareness and exposure for the work you do in your community.
Presentation Styles
Oral Presentation
Take to the stage and present to the audience in a 15 or 25 minutes speaking session with 5 minutes for questions.
Masterclass Presentation
Keep the attention of attendees via engaging, hands-on learning experience in a 60 minute masterclass.
Panel Presentation
Panel presentations bring together views from a group of presenters into a discussion of innovative ideas, current topics, and relevant issues. Each panel session will run for 60 minutes and will consist of at least 3 panel members.
Poster Presentation
Visually showcase your research or services via a printed poster, displayed in the conference exhibition area for the duration of the conference. A dedicated 30 minute poster session is included in the conference program. Posters also displayed virtually to e-delegates.
Important Dates
Presentation applications close | Monday, 23 February 2026 |
Notifications to presenters | Thursday, 26 March 2026 |
Acceptances and registrations due | Thursday, 2 April 2026 |
Program launch | Tuesday, 14 April 2026 |