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4. Fire law and Caring for Country - Oliver Costello
05/21/2025
4. Fire law and Caring for Country - Oliver Costello
Oliver Costello is a First Nations man from Bundjalung Country, now known as the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, Australia. He has a diverse range of personal and professional expertise in culturally connected stewardship. Oliver has extensive experience working within Indigenous land and sea management and conservation and has been particularly interested in empowering Aboriginal perspectives on fire, water, as well as threatened and culturally significant species. He established the original Firesticks initiative which lead to the foundations of Firesticks Alliance and many other Cultural Fire programs in South Eastern Australia. He currently serves as a Executive Director of the Jagun Alliance Aboriginal Corporation, Commissioner on the NSW Net Zero Commission and Board member for the Australian Governments Clean Energy Regulator and Natural Hazards Research Australia along with various other consulting and advisory roles. This conversation happened in the context of the Small Giants’ Wisdom and Action Forum in Melbourne. Oliver focuses on his relationship with Cultural fire, what he has learnt about fear and how Aboriginal people collaborate with Country in a reciprocal relationship with fire. Fire is often perceived as something wild, scary and unpredictable. Oliver explains how fire is actually lawfully responding to its environment. We also talk about complex and sophisticated Indigenous protocols around balance and reciprocity. This is only scratching the surface of Olivers rich experience and multitude of stories. It feels appropriate that we are in a lively place, surrounded by birds and flowers and people and an airplane in this conversation. Host: Pella Thiel, producer: Fredrik Arestav, music: “Nightjar” by Cosmo Sheldrake, art: Scene from "Thanatopsis" by Asher Brown Durand.
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