Our history
Established in 1998, the Queensland Fire and Biodiversity Consortium (QFBC) is one of the oldest collective fire programs in Australia. It has gone from strength to strength over that time, with ever increasing demand from stakeholders across the region.
Here is a short timeline of some of the key moments in QFBC's history
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1998 |
Cuong Tran and Clyde Wild start the conversation for the South East Queensland Fire & Biodiversity Consortium. The idea was to set up a network of land managers and stakeholders committed to improving fire and biodiversity management outcomes. Funding was sought. |
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1999 - 2000 |
National Heritage Trust Funding is secured and the SEQFBC is formally established and is hosted at Logan City Council. Dr Penny Watson is recruited as the Coordinator, laying the foundation for fire in the sub-tropics. |
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2000 |
Flagship report: Tran, C and Wild, C (2000) A Review of Current Knowledge and Literature to Assist in Determining Ecologically Sustainable Fire Regimes for SEQ. Griffith University and the SEQFBC. |
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2001 |
Flagship report: Watson, P (2001) The Role and Use of Fire for Biodiversity Conservation in SEQ: Fire Management Guidelines Derived from Ecological Research. SEQFBC. |
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2001/2 - 2009 |
Funding and partnership secured with Griffith University. Cuong Tran returns as Coordinator and SEQFBC is hosted at Griffith University. Focus on property fire management planning, research projects and investigation, supervision of Hons / PhD projects. |
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2003 |
Development of the first SEQFBC Property Fire Management Planning Manual to support landholders during workshops. |
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2006 |
SEQFBC organises and hosts the international fire conference, Bushfire 2006 in Brisbane (500 delegates). |
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2007 |
Special Issue with Proceedings of the Royal Society of Qld (Volume 113) with submissions by presenters from Bushfire 2006. |
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2010 |
The SEQFBC secures new hosting arrangements with SEQ Catchments (predecessor to Healthy Land & Water) and Dr Sam Lloyd appointed as new Manager. |
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2011 |
Craig Welden appointed as Coordinator. |
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2011 |
SEQFBC establishes training program, in partnership with QPWS, QFES and Mr Francis Hines to deliver Overall Fuel Hazard Assessment training. |
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2011 |
SEQFBC establishes the Research Student Scholarship Program and the first scholarship is awarded to PhD candidate Diana Virkki from Griffith University. |
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2012 |
SEQFBC coordinates the Roadside Burning Project and articulates the Coordinated Agency Model. |
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2015 |
SEQ Catchments and Healthy Waterways merge to become Healthy Land and Water and the SEQFBC is now a program of Healthy Land and Water. |
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2016 |
SEQFBC organises and hosts the national fire conference, Bushfire 2016 in Brisbane (350 delegates). |
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2017 |
SEQFBC commences partnership with Australasian Fire and Emergency Services Authorities Council on the National Burning Project. |
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2017 |
SEQ Fire and Biodiversity Consortium Business Case 2017. |
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2018 |
Development of new SEQFBC Property Fire Management Planning Kit. |
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2018 |
SEQFBC featured as an example of “good practice” in working with private landholders in the Office of the Inspector-General Emergency Management’s Qld Bushfire Review. |
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2019 |
SEQFBC holds the 20th Anniversary Fire Science Forum. |
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2019-2020 |
QFBC Strategic Plan 2019/2020 – 2023/2024. Including name change and expansion of the program across the State. |
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2020 |
SEQFBC renamed to Queensland Fire and Biodiversity Consortium (QFBC). |
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2020 |
QFBC are invited to sit on the roundtable at the National Bushfire and Climate Summit following Black Summer. |
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2020 |
QFBC develops submission to the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements on behalf of HLW and QFBC partners. |
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2020 |
National Recovery Action Plan for Bushfire Resilient Communities 2020 and State Recovery Action Plan for Bushfire Resilient Communities 2020. |
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2020 |
$1.2m for QFBC in Bushfire Resilient Funding – Australian Government (DAWE). |
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2020 |
Awarded Highly Commended in the Get Ready Queensland Resilient Australia Awards for the Property Fire Management Planning workshop program. |
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2021 |
QFBC sits within new ‘Climate Adaptation’ Program area of Healthy Land and Water. |
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2021 |
QFBC develops new SEQ Planned Burn Guide with QPWS. |
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2022 |
QFBC accepted to speak at the UN Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction 2022. |
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2022 |
$4.4m for QFBC in Black Summer Bushfire Grant funding – Australian Government (DISER). |
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2022 |
QFBC successfully leads partnership, on behalf of HLW, with Natural Hazards Research Australia. |
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2022 |
Stand up QFBC Fire Science Reference Group. |
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2022 |
Stand up expanded QFBC hub and spoke state model. |
Traditional Owner acknowledgement
We acknowledge that the place we now live in has been nurtured by Australia’s First Peoples for tens of thousands of years. We believe the spiritual, cultural and physical consciousness gained through this custodianship is vital to maintaining the future of our region.
Commitment to our Reconciliation Action Plan
Belinda Close, Quandamooka woman
Reconciliation Australia has officially endorsed environmental peak group, Healthy Land and Water’s comprehensive Reconciliation Action Plan, which is a practical guide to how the organisation will deliver meaningful changes across the business in support of reconciliation.
These are the accompanying words by Quandamooka woman, Belinda Close, for the artwork she has designed for the Healthy Land and Water Reconciliation Action Plan.
"Our story is to share, care and love our ancient, living, breathing culture and Country in this world.
Protect our sacred lands, salty seas, healing waters, wildlife and everything that grows within.
Nurture the waters, animals, plants and each other from the north, south, east and west.
Come together to share and understand the knowledge and respect of Mother Earth and our Ancestors that have passed on. Elders and Ancestors that are still with us today, sharing their ways on Country.
When you look into this story, you see Ancestor Spirits standing together, strong, in a circle, looking over us, sending their love, knowledge, strength and blessings.
We work together on Country, crossing waters to share knowledge, lending a helping hand during bushfires – which you can see burning in the bottom left of the story.
In the center, the belly of the story, begins new life, new beginnings, next generations. Fern life and plant life encourages new creek life and sprouts new creations.
The purples of our mountains, gullies and hills burst with wild rainforest – forests and bushlands that can never be replaced as they are as ancient as the Dreamtime.
Together, let’s maintain a clean, healthy, happy natural environment for all generations to come."