EMPA Conference Australia 2025

THE 2025 EMERGENCY MEDIA AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONFERENCE

Held over two and half days at The Pullman, Albert Park, MELBOURNE.

Emergency Media and Public Affairs (EMPA) exists to lead and support the evolution of effective communication and community engagement before, during and after emergencies, by providing a network for all who practise and research in this sector.

If you're an emergency or crisis communications practitioner or researcher, then you will want to join us this June.

Joe Buffone the Deputy Coordinator General of the Emergency Management and Response Group of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is this year's opening keynote speaker. Joe will discuss why NEMA is focusing on 2025 as the Year of Crisis Communications.

Anni Fordham is a communication specialist with a passion for emergency public information and is the Day 2 Keynote speaker. As the recipient of a Churchill Fellowship, Anni travelled to Switzerland, the United States of America, Japan and New Zealand in late 2024 to investigate the provision of highly accessible information to people impacted by emergencies.

By popular demand the EMPA conference team has also invited world renowned Risk, Crisis and Emergency Communication Consultant Philippe Borremans to present a workshop on Day 3 on how to utilise AI whilst maintaining quality as emergency communications practitioners.

Philippe has 25 years of experience guiding organisations through crises and emergencies. He advises multinational companies and works with large public institutions such as the European Union, the World Health Organisation and the African Union. He develops training and designs simulations to improve crisis communication strategies.

Philippe is the author of the book “Mastering Crisis Communication with ChatGPT; A Practical Guide” and editor of the weekly newsletter Wag The Dog, which reports on trends in risk, crisis, and emergency communication.

The event also includes a dinner to celebrate the winners of the 2025 EMPA AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION.

For the full conference program and to enter this year's Awards for Excellence in Emergency Communication go to: https://www.empa.org.au/