Australian public safety advisory board formed

Comms Connect has announced the formation of a Public Safety Advisory Board (PSAB), which will help to shape the future of public safety communications in Australia and New Zealand. The PSAB will hold its first meeting on 17 June 2014 in Sydney, timed to coincide with the Comms Connect conference taking place at the Australian Technology Park on 18-19 June.

“Over the past eight years, Comms Connect has brought new and exciting information into the communications industry, both at a user and supplier level,” says Paul Davis, events director for Westwick-Farrow, the organiser of Comms Connect. “However, for the past few years it has been realised that we could, and should, do more to support the public safety and emergency management communities.”

Comms Connect Melbourne 2014, which will be held from 30 September to 2 October 2014 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, will have an entire Public Safety & Emergency Management stream of speakers plus dedicated workshops.

“In order to ensure we are focusing on the critical issues of importance to this community, we decided to create the PSAB and are extremely excited about the response to date,” says Davis.

The PSAB will comprised volunteer representatives from across public safety, emergency management, government agencies, utilities, academia and associated partners, such as non-government agencies. Its goals are to:

• Provide a strategic opportunity for open, transparent and procurement-free dialogue between industry and public safety users.
• Offer responders from multiple jurisdictions and disciplines the opportunity to work collaboratively while gaining insight into each other’s communities.
• Ensure that public safety and emergency management leaders have a voice in the content and direction of future Comms Connect events.
• Build strong alliances through linkages within their respective networks/communities.
• Identify current and pending political, legislative and regulatory developments that may impact the future state of public safety information and communications technology (ICT).
• Advise the present and future trends/needs of the community.

Launched in 2007, Comms Connect is the region’s premier brand delivering information to users and industry in the critical communications sector via exhibitions and conferences held in Sydney and Melbourne. In addition, 2014-15 will see a closer working relationship with the Australian Radio Communications Industry Association (ARCIA) in order to deliver industry seminars in the state capitals not yet visited by Comms Connect. Further information about Comms Connect can be found on the event’s website or obtained by emailing Paul Davis.