Overview | Australian Bushfire Building Conference

The Australian Bushfire Building Conference is an annual event for industry professionals who have a focus on building in bushfire-prone areas.

It brings together builders, architects, designers, landscapers, bushfire consultants, certifiers, planners, researchers, regulators and insurers with a range of sessions, workshops, field trips and social events to help Australia build a better, stronger and more resilient community.

The event is presented by Blue Mountains Economic Enterprise (BMEE), a not-for-profit organisation for economic development in the Blue Mountains, with the NSW Rural Fire Service as Major Partner.

History

In 2013 the Blue Mountains suffered from tragic losses as a result of bushfires. In response, BMEE organised the first Bushfire Building Conference, held in 2015.

In 2016, BMEE was the winner of the NSW Resilient Australia Award (Business), presented by the NSW government, and won the Economic Development Australia Award in the event category for its work on the Bushfire Conference. This success, coupled with the industry feedback the first Conference received, ensured the Conference would become an annual event.

Since 2015 it has grown in size and focus, from being Blue Mountains-centric at the outset, to its current national focus. In 2018, 240 delegates from around Australia attended the Conference and 1,500 members of the public attended the Community Day.

Conference and Community Day

From 2015 to 2018 the industry Conference was followed by the public Community Day on the Saturday immediately after the Conference.

In 2019 this will change, with the Community Day, which includes a public Forum, Marketplace/Expo and lots of family-friendly activities, being held in September while the Conference will follow 6 weeks later in October.