Joe Buffone PSM
Deputy Coordinator General, Emergency Management & Response Group, National Emergency Management Agency

Joe is the Deputy Coordinator General of the Emergency Management and Response Group of the newly formed National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). He previously held the position of Director General of Emergency Management Australia (EMA) since October 2020 having been with EMA since December 2016 and had held multiple roles within the organisation. As Deputy Coordinator General, Joe is responsible for overseeing the Australian Government National Situation Room and Coordination of Australian Government Disaster Assistance (non-financial).

Joe has more than 30 years’ experience in security and disaster management and has held a number of key senior positions.

This year, he was appointed co-lead of the Exotic Animal Diseases Preparedness Joint Interagency Taskforce to undertake planning and preparedness across federal government, jurisdictions and industry in response to a possible incursion of foot and mouth disease or lumpy skin disease. Joe was deployed to Victoria in 2020 to establish and lead the Victorian Aged Care Response Centre to coordinate the response to COVID outbreaks in the Aged Care sector. Joe led the centre for 3 months until the situation was stabilised and transitioned to recovery.
Joe has held several senior executive positions over the past 15 years, such as Chief Officer of the Victorian Country Fire Authority, Deputy Emergency Management Commissioner Victoria, Deputy Emergency Services Commissioner, Victoria.

Joe has had direct involvement in coordinating and responding to major emergencies in Australia and internationally, at the Strategic, Operational and Tactical levels. Some examples are; Leading the 2022 Floods response, Victorian Aged Care Response Centre 2020, Black Summer 2019-20, Far North Queensland Floods 2018-19, Cyclone Debbie 2017, Tasmanian Bushfires 2016, Wye River Bushfires 2016, Nepal Earth Quake 2015, Somerton Building Waste Fire 2015, Hazelwood Mine Fire 2014, NSW Bushfires 2014, 2011 Victorian Floods and 2009 Black Saturday Fires in Victoria. He was deployed internationally to support an AUSMAT team deployment post the 2017 earthquake. Joe has also served in the Australian Defence Force.

Joe holds a Masters of Business, Graduate Diploma in Disaster Management, and a Diploma in Security Management.