 |
Phil Koperberg | |
|---|---|
| 1st Commissioner of the NSW Rural Fire Service | |
| In office 1 September 1997 – 12 January 2007 | |
| Preceded by | New title |
| Succeeded by | Shane Fitzsimmons |
| Minister for Environment and Climate Change and Water | |
| In office 2 April 2007 – 27 February 2008 | |
| Succeeded by | Verity Firth (Environment and Climate Change) Nathan Rees (Water) |
| Member of the New South Wales Parliament for Blue Mountains | |
| In office 24 March 2007 – 26 March 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Bob Debus |
| Succeeded by | Roza Sage |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 April 1943 The Hague, The Netherlands |
| Political party | Labor Party |
Philip Christian Koperberg AO AFSM BEM (born 28 April 1943), is the Chairman of the New South Wales Emergency Management Committee, responsible for advising the New South Wales government on emergency response strategies, since 2011.
Koperberg is a former Australian politician, was the New South Wales Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water between 2007 and 2008; and was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, representing the electorate of the Blue Mountains for the Labor Party between 2007–2011. Prior to his political career, Koperberg was the Commissioner of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service (RFS) in Australia between 1997–2007.
"An expert in risk and crisis management, Phil Koperberg was the overall emergency controller during the 2001 Christmas/New Year fires, when Australia faced its longest and most intense bush firefighting campaign. In 1994 Phil Koperberg was also the overall emergency controller, as firefighters battled to control over 800 New South Wales fires covering in excess of 800,000 hectares. In 1999, his expertise was again called upon during the severe hail storms which damaged more than 30,000 properties."[1]
In September 1997, Koperberg was appointed the RFS Commissioner when the Service was formed under the Rural Fires Act. Before this he had been Director-General of the New South Wales Bush Fire Service from May 1990. In March 2007 he was elected to State parliament and appointed to the Ministry. However, in December he was forced to stand aside due to a police investigation regarding domestic violence allegations from 1987. The NSW Director of Public Prosecutions declined to press charges and Koperberg was reinstated to the Ministry. He resigned from the Ministry on 22 February 2008. Koperberg did not recontest the 2011 state election.
- ^ "Biography at Celebrity Speakers Australia". Retrieved 8 June 2008.