Following working with Queensland Fire Department (QFD), participant in Natural Hazards Research Australia’s (the Centre) pilot internship program Fia Hamid-Walker was impressed by the visibility and effectiveness of women in leadership within the organisation.
“Their authority in both operational and strategic settings reflected a culture that clearly prioritised expertise and credibility, and it underscored the importance of representation in public safety leadership,” Fia said.
Through mapping statutory duties, regulatory pathways and approval barriers applicable to bushfire hazard reduction activities, Fia’s internship project identified where legal frameworks enable or constrain preventive risk management.
“I was surprised that bushfire prevention is not governed by a single clear legal duty or piece of legislation, but by multiple conditional triggers,” Fia said.
“In practice, mitigation often depends on notices, development approvals, land tenure, and environmental regulation rather than a general obligation to mitigate bushfire risk.”
The project was an opportunity to gain skills with the support of highly experienced QFD staff.
“I gained skills in advanced statutory interpretation, regulatory mapping and policy analysis, as well as translating complex legal doctrine into guidance for stakeholders,” Fia said.
“I also developed a clearer understanding of the institutional complexity of government decision-making and strengthened my ability to communicate legal risk to non-legal decision-makers.
“My supervisor at QFD and our core team consistently provided operational context, keeping the legal analysis grounded and practically useful.”
The report Fia prepared setting out a full framework for bushfire mitigation law in Queensland is something of which she is proud.
“Producing work that could inform real risk reduction practice rather than remaining purely theoretical,” Fia said.
“Bridging the gap between legal complexity and operational clarity was a meaningful outcome.”
This experience as an intern with QFD as part of the Centre’s internship program reinforced Fia’s career path.
“It reinforced my interest in combining legal research with applied governance and confirmed my commitment to working at the intersection of law, public institutions, and disaster risk management, particularly in strengthening protection for communities facing increasing disasters and the impacts of climate change,” Fia said.
Find more about the Centre’s internship program.