Implementing a Successful Lessons Management Framework Across Multiple Major Disaster Events
Tracks
Southport Room 3
| Tuesday, July 28, 2026 |
| 1:25 PM - 1:45 PM |
| Southport Room 3 |
Overview
Kelli Hudson & Troy Gersback, City Of Gold Coast
Details
Three Key Learnings
1. Understand how to apply simple effective strategies to embed lessons into business as usual activities.
2. Learn how lessons management and continuous improvement has been applied across multiple significant disaster events, enhancing response and relief activities, improving internal and agency collaboration, and enhancing community resilience.
3. Leadership focused on continuous improvement is key to successfully implementing a lessons management framework and overcoming barriers to success.
Speaker
Mr Troy Gersback
Coordinator Disaster and Emergency Management
City of Gold Coast
Implementing a Successful Lessons Management Framework Across Multiple Major Disaster Events
Abstract
The Gold Coast LGA is subject to numerous hazards with severe weather heavily impacting the region in February/March 2022; significant multi hazard events on Christmas and New Years 2023; and TC Alfred in 2025 resulting in compounding and overlapping response and recovery programs.
These events identified lessons and opportunities to enhance the City’s capability to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters. Their scale posed challenges in fully understanding lessons and priorities and what can be implemented to bring about genuine change.
Prior to 2022 the City of Gold Coast utilised a standard lessons management approach, progressing lessons as time and resources allowed. Following the 2022 event we implemented a new lessons management framework built on simple, effective strategies resulting in an enhanced, proactive and successful program.
Committing a dedicated lessons management resource, we now ensure lessons are identified, registered, prioritised and learnt through a systematic approach.
Fostering a culture of learning, effective communication and process development are essential to the operationalisation and integration of lessons into daily activities. Tailored training programs including exercises, lunch and learn, cell specific and refresher sessions ensure lessons are embedded and continually evaluated to ensure improvements occur.
Actively seeking observations, multi-agency collaboration and participation in exercises, Council-to-Council arrangements and after-action reviews are now business as usual, allowing us to learn from various operational environments, and implement our own lessons identified and from those around us.
Our approach is underpinned by lessons focused leadership, embedding continuous improvement into daily operations and strategic thinking.
This presentation will detail how a simple and iterative framework has led to 30 of 59 lessons complete and 29 in progress. We’ll share case studies demonstrating how lessons from the 2023 Christmas Storms were applied during TC Alfred and refined to drive continuous improvement, positive community outcomes and lasting change.
These events identified lessons and opportunities to enhance the City’s capability to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters. Their scale posed challenges in fully understanding lessons and priorities and what can be implemented to bring about genuine change.
Prior to 2022 the City of Gold Coast utilised a standard lessons management approach, progressing lessons as time and resources allowed. Following the 2022 event we implemented a new lessons management framework built on simple, effective strategies resulting in an enhanced, proactive and successful program.
Committing a dedicated lessons management resource, we now ensure lessons are identified, registered, prioritised and learnt through a systematic approach.
Fostering a culture of learning, effective communication and process development are essential to the operationalisation and integration of lessons into daily activities. Tailored training programs including exercises, lunch and learn, cell specific and refresher sessions ensure lessons are embedded and continually evaluated to ensure improvements occur.
Actively seeking observations, multi-agency collaboration and participation in exercises, Council-to-Council arrangements and after-action reviews are now business as usual, allowing us to learn from various operational environments, and implement our own lessons identified and from those around us.
Our approach is underpinned by lessons focused leadership, embedding continuous improvement into daily operations and strategic thinking.
This presentation will detail how a simple and iterative framework has led to 30 of 59 lessons complete and 29 in progress. We’ll share case studies demonstrating how lessons from the 2023 Christmas Storms were applied during TC Alfred and refined to drive continuous improvement, positive community outcomes and lasting change.
Biography
Troy is disaster, emergency and incident management specialist, with 15 years’ experience in and dedication in several Australian jurisdictions and Internationally. Working across the full prevention, preparation, response, and recovery spectrum – initially within both rural and urban firefighting organisations – and, since joining the City of Gold Coast, Troy has further expanded this expertise into an all-hazards disaster management focus.
Combined with private-sector expertise in public relations and marketing, Troy brings operational expertise, strategic insight, and stakeholder engagement to support effective outcomes in complex disaster and emergency environments.
Mrs Kelli Hudson
Disaster Resilience Lead
City Of Gold Coast
Implementing a successful lessons management framework across multiple major disaster events
Abstract
The Gold Coast LGA is subject to numerous hazards with severe weather heavily impacting the region in February/March 2022; significant multi hazard events on Christmas and New Years 2023; and TC Alfred in 2025 resulting in compounding and overlapping response and recovery programs.
These events identified lessons and opportunities to enhance the City’s capability to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters. Their scale posed challenges in fully understanding lessons and priorities and what can be implemented to bring about genuine change.
Prior to 2022 the City of Gold Coast utilised a standard lessons management approach, progressing lessons as time and resources allowed. Following the 2022 event we implemented a new lessons management framework built on simple, effective strategies resulting in an enhanced, proactive and successful program.
Committing a dedicated lessons management resource, we now ensure lessons are identified, registered, prioritised and learnt through a systematic approach.
Fostering a culture of learning, effective communication and process development are essential to the operationalisation and integration of lessons into daily activities. Tailored training programs including exercises, lunch and learn, cell specific and refresher sessions ensure lessons are embedded and continually evaluated to ensure improvements occur.
Actively seeking observations, multi-agency collaboration and participation in exercises, Council-to-Council arrangements and after-action reviews are now business as usual, allowing us to learn from various operational environments, and implement our own lessons identified and from those around us.
Our approach is underpinned by lessons focused leadership, embedding continuous improvement into daily operations and strategic thinking.
This presentation will detail how a simple and iterative framework has led to 30 of 59 lessons complete and 29 in progress. We’ll share case studies demonstrating how lessons from the 2023 Christmas Storms were applied during TC Alfred and refined to drive continuous improvement, positive community outcomes and lasting change.
These events identified lessons and opportunities to enhance the City’s capability to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters. Their scale posed challenges in fully understanding lessons and priorities and what can be implemented to bring about genuine change.
Prior to 2022 the City of Gold Coast utilised a standard lessons management approach, progressing lessons as time and resources allowed. Following the 2022 event we implemented a new lessons management framework built on simple, effective strategies resulting in an enhanced, proactive and successful program.
Committing a dedicated lessons management resource, we now ensure lessons are identified, registered, prioritised and learnt through a systematic approach.
Fostering a culture of learning, effective communication and process development are essential to the operationalisation and integration of lessons into daily activities. Tailored training programs including exercises, lunch and learn, cell specific and refresher sessions ensure lessons are embedded and continually evaluated to ensure improvements occur.
Actively seeking observations, multi-agency collaboration and participation in exercises, Council-to-Council arrangements and after-action reviews are now business as usual, allowing us to learn from various operational environments, and implement our own lessons identified and from those around us.
Our approach is underpinned by lessons focused leadership, embedding continuous improvement into daily operations and strategic thinking.
This presentation will detail how a simple and iterative framework has led to 30 of 59 lessons complete and 29 in progress. We’ll share case studies demonstrating how lessons from the 2023 Christmas Storms were applied during TC Alfred and refined to drive continuous improvement, positive community outcomes and lasting change.
Biography
Kelli is a Disaster Resilience Lead at the City of Gold Coast’s Disaster and Emergency Management Unit. She is a project manager for the Disaster Resilience Scorecard Project driving the uplift of key City initiatives to strengthen disaster resilience. As a senior disaster operations professional, Kelli developed the unit’s lessons management framework and specialises in evaluating and improving operations, and driving continuous improvement to achieve positive outcomes and lasting change. With a background in event management Kelli is a planning and training specialist known for strategic thinking and delivering innovative, practical outcomes.
