Shane Fitzsimmons stood down as Resilience NSW dismantled
Resilience NSW is set to be scrapped and its commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons stood down as the state government overhauls its emergency response network.
Fitzsimmons, previously the commissioner of the NSW Rural Fire Service and NSW Australian of the Year in 2020, will be stood down from his role as commissioner of Resilience NSW.
Resilience NSW is an agency set up after the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires to coordinate emergency services and their disaster management.
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Resilience NSW Shane Fitzsimmons speaking at the Upper House estimates committee at NSW parliament in April. Sam Mooy
The agency has a $777 million budget.
Following the floods which devastated northern NSW earlier this year, an inquiry was launched to investigate the response to and recovery from the catastrophic event.
A report by former police commissioner Mick Fuller and chief scientist Mary O'Kane has been handed down after the inquiry and recommended Resilience NSW be shut down because it's ineffective.
"If there are better ways to manage emergencies and respond to emergencies then that should occur," transport minister David Elliott said.
"The evidence is overwhelming at this point that the massive bureaucracy that is Resilience NSW being placed on top of our emergency services has not worked," opposition leader Chris Minns said.
During the inquiry, accusations were levelled at Resilience NSW for "dropping the ball" during their flood response and that there was confusion about who was in charge between the multiple emergency agencies.
Earlier in the inquiry, Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Mark Banasiak questioned the role of Resilience NSW.
"Is Resilience NSW just in its infancy or is it a failed experiment?" Banasiak asked.
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The inquiry was launched following the devastating 2022 Lismore floods. Dan Peled/Getty Images
The report also recommended a fifth deputy commissioner position to be created within NSW Police to focus on responding to and recovering from natural disasters.
"It makes a lot of sense putting police at the front and centre of disaster management," Kevin Morton from the police association said.
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