Alistair Dawson

Alistair Dawson has always had a passion for helping others, so it seemed only natural he would join the police service to serve and protect. Now, with more than 40 years’ experience under his belt in both London and Queensland, Alistair is now helping others as Queensland’s Inspector-General of Emergency Management.

“I always ask myself, how do we value add to the community that we serve?” Alistair says. “That's the key.”

Alistair began his career as a police officer in Brisbane in 1982 and went on to become one of Queensland’s most senior police officers, serving as an Inspector in the Commonwealth Heads of Government group, Chief Superintendent at the G20 Group, Police Commander for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

His experience as a former Chair of the State Disaster Coordination Group, coordinating government response to several complex disaster events across the State made him the ideal candidate for his current position.

Now as Inspector-General of Emergency Management, Alistair has been given the large responsibility of regularly reviewing and assessing the effectiveness of Queensland’s disaster management system where he works with emergency service entities, departments and the community to identify and improve disaster management capabilities.

And with the recent widespread flooding across the east coast, he has been extremely busy. His latest large-scale project includes leading a review of Queensland’s response to the 2022 South East Queensland flood event.

“Our job is to look at both the big picture and small picture,” he explains. “We look at making sure that disaster management plans are in place, and that the appropriate checks and balances are occurring on those plans.”

“In times of significant emergency events we can be tasked by the government to undertake a review.”

He says the process is a lot more personal than we might imagine, with some jobs involving talking to all members of an impacted community to ensure that the systems are meeting the needs of those affected. It’s the kind of work that can take an emotional toll but be incredibly rewarding.

“It's about understanding the difference that you can make,” Alistair says. “If I can make their journey any easier by improving systems or giving recommendations that lead to greater effectiveness then that’s what I want to do. And that’s not just for those who are impacted by the disasters such as the floods, but for the rest of the community that have to deal with the flow-on effects as well.

“I find that our work enriches my own life and enriches the lives of the people I work with. You just feel this immense sense of satisfaction to see system enhancements that are accepted and the areas of improvement and the communities you’ve helped... It gives you a sense of value that you can’t put a price on.”

Alistair says returning to study at Griffith as a mature student to study an Executive Masters of Public Administration gave him some of the essential tools to enable him to do his job in the most effective way possible.

“Griffith teaches you the value of research, how to pull it together, and the veracity of the research... They taught me the value of systems-based thinking; we are not just going to rely on one paper or one report; we want to see numerous papers, review numerous reports, speak to the people involved and test it all out.

“One of the other things I've been most grateful to Griffith for is the support, the University has been so supportive in my journey. They taught me that my experiences are important because it’s so important to have and apply that practical experience.”

In 2021, Alistair was appointed as an Adjunct Professor within the Centre for Environment and Population Health, School of Medicine and Dentistry at Griffith University.

As Queensland’s Inspector-General of Emergency Management, Alistair is committed to working with the disaster management sector to ensure ongoing co-design, collaboration, and cooperation between local, state, interstate and federal agencies.

“I’ve been challenged with some incredibly important causes and projects over the years, but I think constantly it's not about so much the challenge, but: What else can I put back into a space that's given me so much? I feel proud to repay the debt every day.”