David has been working as a private sector Senior Planner & Bushfire Specialist at Blackash Bushfire Consulting for over 3 years, following a career in local government for over 25 years as a town planner, bushland manager and emergency management professional. Throughout his career David has championed improvements in bushfire planning and land management policy at state and local government. David’s focus has always been to improve the legislative & policy framework to be practical and cost effective on the ground. As a town planner and bushfire specialist David has been involved in negotiating and determining hundreds of development applications from single dwelling infill projects and subdivision, to major commercial, industrial and infrastructure projects. David has extensive Land & Environment Court experience and is adept at finding practical and sustainable solutions to development problems. With over 15 years’ experience working on Bush Fire Management Committees, David has established and delivered multi-million dollar works programs for councils, and worked collaboratively to deliver these with private and public sector land managers. David has been a champion for innovative and practical solutions to make communities more bushfire resilient, to improve access and water supplies and to protect critical infrastructure. David has been an active NSW Rural Fire Service volunteer for over 20 years with wide experience in bushfire response and recovery, and has a visceral understanding of the need to produce bushfire development solutions that can be practically maintained for the long term to protect communities and fire fighters.