Dr Barnes is Deputy Director of QUT’s Centre for Emergency & Disaster Management (CEDM) and he leads the Centre’s Infrastructure Program. He has wide experience in public sector and specialist management roles at both the State and Federal level. Within the emergency services arena, he was the inaugural Manager of the State Community Safety Unit of the Queensland Fire & Rescue Authority (QFRA) where he coordinated research on emergency response infrastructure and resource planning, oversaw policy and legislative support for regulatory fire safety & fire prevention, as well as provided executive coordination of Workplace Health & Safety for first responders. Advice provision also included safety and risk assessment requirements for large-scale developments (including major hazardous facilities) with emphasis on Emergency Response Planning. During his period with the QFRA, he chaired the National Community Education Sub-Group of the Australasian Fire Authorities Council. As Corporate Risk Manager of the Queensland Department of Primary Industries (QDPI), he oversaw development of Corporate Standards and governance framework covering risk management, crisis management and business continuity planning, as well as waste and environmental management. He also represented the Department on a number of high-level working groups related to critical infrastructure protection and the development of whole-of-government (QLD) capacities in crisis management, including biosecurity. Before joining QUT he was Director of Security Policy development within the Defence Security Authority, Canberra. In this role he coordinated activities supporting Defence Department outcomes related to security risk management, security policy development and physical security of Defence installations.