Expert Presenters

Kathryn Kinnear - Bio Diverse Solutions

Environmental and Bushfire Consultant, Director

Kathryn has been in the Environmental and Bushfire Planning discipline for 25 years. In 2009 Kathryn established Bio Diverse Solutions as an Environmental Management and Bushfire Consultancy to solve problems, provide operational outcomes for clients and quality consultancy services across regional WA. Her work has been from north to Kalbarri and the wider Murchison, west to Windy harbour/Bunbury, east to Esperance. Kathryn combines her passion for sustainable environmental outcomes in the bushfire discipline to ensure we are protecting the environment as well as reducing bushfire risks.

Daniel Panickar - Eco Logical Australia

Manager and Bushfire Lead - WA

Daniel is an experienced environmental and bushfire consultant with over eight years’ experience in the consulting industry. Initially trained as an ecologist and environmental planner, Daniel has gained invaluable experience in fire ecology, flora and fauna surveys and environmental approvals. Since being involved in the industry, Daniel's skills have diversified to include bushfire management planning and team management and he has held senior roles including lead ecologist and lead bushfire consultant. Daniel currently manages ELA’s Western Australian operations.

Daniel has worked on over 500 bushfire management projects across Australia and is an accredited Level 2 Bushfire Planning and Design (BPAD) practitioner with experience in Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) assessments, preparation of Bushfire Management Plans, Bushfire Emergency Evacuation Plans, Bushfire Risk Assessments and providing expert advice at Joint Development Assessment Panel (JDAP) meetings and State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) hearings.

Daniel’s experience in environmental approvals and bushfire planning, particularly in the land development and infrastructure sectors allow him to provide accurate, pragmatic advice regarding opportunities and constraints, and develop innovative solutions to facilitate development in potentially problematic areas. This experience has been acknowledged through Daniel’s membership on the Fire Protection Association Australia (FPAA) WA Bushfire Working Group and the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) Outlook Committee as well as previous role on the National Environmental Law Association (NELA) WA State Committee.

Julie De Jong - H+H Architects

Director

Julie de Jong is a registered architect and a Director of H+H Architects, which is the largest regional architectural practice in Western Australia, and has offices in Albany, Kalgoorlie, and in 2020, a new Bunbury office.

Julie is a BPAD Level 1 Bushfire Assessor, and her involvement in the bushfire planning area was prompted by a strong interest in designing buildings and places that respond effectively to bushfire risks and the provisions of AS3959.

Working as an architect as well as a bushfire assessor offers many advantages, as it enables H+H Architects to offer advice at the early feasibility stages of a project, through to the site planning, building design and construction phases. Julie is often approached for advice from builders during the construction stage of houses in bushfire prone areas, to assist with technical advice regarding compliance, and the practical application of AS3959.

Julie works consistently with a range of other professionals in the bushfire and compliance space, ensuring a holistic approach to the assessment, site planning and design of bushfire resilient buildings in regional Western Australia.

Dennis Koster - City of Albany

Coordinator of Building Services

Dennis is a Level 1 Building Surveyor registered with the Building Commission of WA and has been with the City of Albany for almost 14 years and in my role I coordinate the building team and oversee the approval process for all types of building permit applications both certified & uncertified. We also complete Certificates of Design, Construction & Building Compliance when required and ensure all applications meet the requirements of the Building Act, Building Regulations, Building Code of Australia and associated Australian Standards.

David Mexsom - Statewide Building Certification WA

Building Surveyor

David Mexsom is a Level 1 Private Building Certifier / Surveyor based in Albany in the Great Southern.

David formed a Company ‘Statewide Building Certification WA’ (SBCWA) in April 2012 to coincide with the introduction of the Building Regulation WA 2012, which allowed for Private Building Certification options in WA.

SBCWA is a Family owned and operating business. David’s son Andrew is also a Registered Building Surveyor working for SBCWA.

To date SBCWA has assessed and certified more than 3,500 projects across WA, consisting of Commercial, Residential and also unauthorised buildings and structures constructed without a building permit (Many of which are in designated Bushfire prone Areas).

Being a regionally based Company we cover a vast area of the State and SBCWA visits the Shire of Esperance on a regular basis to assist with Building Certification needs of that Community and surrounding districts.

Alex Bott - City of Albany

Acting Manager Planning and Land Information Services

Alex has been at the City of Albany for the past six years and has extensive local government experience in town planning in the South West and Great Southern regions of Western Australia. His current role deals with a team that covers a wide variety of planning matters ranging from strategic planning, subdivision, policy development, GIS, and development proposals.

Maria Kornakova

Dr Maria Kornakova is a Bushfire Services Coordinator at the FPA Australia. Maria successfully completed PhD at the University of Melbourne and postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Melbourne and Massey University, NZ. The key focus of her research and professional interest is bushfire risk reduction practices through building, planning and architecture. Maria transferred to the industry to practically apply skills and knowledge gained over the years of her academic career and joined FPA Australia in December 2018.