The 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria that devastated Steve Pascoe’s small community of Strathewen. While everyone pulled together, as people do the world over after a disaster, the folks of Strathewen were worried that the systems meant to help them, might instead further harm them. They set out to find a better democratic way to support them to recover and flourish again as a community.

In this episode we look at the Ash Wednesday bushfires of 1983 in Macedon, the home town of host Kate Lawrence, and the experiences of community leader Morna Kenworthy. We explore the complexities of recovery, the slow, bureaucratic government response and the pivotal role of the local community.  We see how the contrast between the rigid structures of public administration with the flexible, ground-level initiatives led by ordinary people, highlights the clash between established systems and grassroots resilience.

In episode three of 'Democracy After Disaster,' we delve into the historical impact and aftermath of the devastating Black Friday bushfires in 1939, acknowledging the deep history of indigenous fire management practices, ignored by the colonists at their peril. The episode then tracks across the 20th century exploring changes in community-government relationships, the activism and experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and the evolving landscape of disaster recovery and democracy in Australia.