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Kilmore East-Kinglake and Murrindindi bushfire loss assessment

Maurice Blackburn Lawyers

RMCG has had an ongoing multi-faceted involvement in the class actions that arose from the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in the Kinglake (Kilmore East-Kinglake bushfire) and Marysville (Murrindindi bushfire) areas.  Initially, we were engaged by both the lawyers for the claimants and the Supreme Court to undertake consultation with a sample of bushfire victims to assess the property losses they had experienced.  This involved direct face-to-face contact and follow-up telephone contact with those chosen to be part of the sample.

RMCG was engaged because of our deep understanding of rural communities; our mix of experience in community consultation and business analysis; and our previous experience of similar work resulting from the Horsham, Coleraine and Weerite bushfires that occurred on the same day.

Team

Adrian Kennelly

Adrian Kennelly

Associate

B.Ag.Sci. (Hons), M.Ag.Sci., CPAg.

Adrian has more than 30 years’ experience in agricultural business and natural resource management research, policy, education and extension. He is a specialist farm business management adviser, who consults to medium to large-scale private farmers, agribusiness investors, agricultural industry groups and government agencies.

Adrian has specific skills and experience in strategic planning, business analysis, impact and loss assessment, facilitation, and training and education in rural Australia.  Adrian chairs the advisory boards of a number of family farming operations in south-eastern Australia and has undertaken due diligence exercises for several domestic and international investors.

In addition to this, his most recent industry project work includes the development of an Investment Attraction Program for Rural Councils Victoria, an agricultural impact assessment of the Western Highway bypass of Ararat and the development of a business planning program (Our farm, our plan) for the Australian dairy industry.

Daryl Poole

Daryl Poole

Principal

B.Ag.Sci. (Hons), CPAg., GAICD

Daryl has over 20 years of experience is in the areas of agribusiness and farm management, particularly the dairy industry.   He has a diploma in Human Resource Management (Dairy) and can assist farming businesses with their employment practices to ensure their workforce is both effective and compliant.  Daryl also has an in depth understanding of water policy and what it means at the farm level which allows him to assist irrigation businesses develop their water risk management strategies.   Daryl has both facilitator and strategic planning experience and can assist farming businesses and organisations to achieve their goals.

Suzanne Roberts

Suzanne Roberts

Consultant

B.App.Sci. (Env.Mgt.)

Suzanne has had experience across a wide variety of projects, from loss assessment to town drainage studies and has experience in data collection, soil analysis, irrigation management, land capability studies, GIS mapping and groundwater analysis.

Rebecca Schwarzman

Rebecca Schwarzman

Senior Consultant

B.Sci. (Hons)

Bec is a skilled geographer and environmental scientist with a background in water, natural resource management and regional development.

She has made important contributions to catchment and water management, salinity, compost use in agriculture and bushfire planning and management at RMCG. She works on projects with a focus on strategic planning, program evaluation and social and environmental research, primarily for government agencies.

Bec has well developed project management skills and has a practical and resourceful style. She is a highly capable writer and problem solver.