Reform Implementation Taskforce Leadership Team
Special Coordinator Stephan Gollschewski, Police and Emergency Services Reform
Steve Gollschewski APM is the Special Coordinator for Police and Emergency Services Reform with over 40 years’ experience in policing, disaster management, governance and reform.
As Special Coordinator, Steve provides independent oversight of the reform and transformation programs which will ensure Queensland’s committed frontline officers, staff, volunteers and associated government agencies are best positioned to respond to emergency situations, support vulnerable persons and keep Queenslanders safe at all times including in the face of disaster.
In his role as the former State Disaster Coordinator for Queensland he has been responsible for coordinating overall Government response to disaster and weather-related emergencies and also led the operational response to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Steve holds key governance roles on a number of boards and committees and is a graduate of the AFP Management of Serious Crime Program, Leadership in Counter-Terrorism (LinCT) program, ANZSOG and the Australian Institute of Police Management. He has completed post graduate studies in Leadership through Charles Sturt and Harvard universities.
Assistant Commissioner Marcus Hill, Queensland Police Service
As the Acting Assistant Commissioner for the Reform Implementation Taskforce, Marcus brings years of Disaster Management Practitioner experience across operational, tactical and strategic levels.
Commencing with the QPS in July 1985, he has served with dedication and commitment at various rural, remote, and urban localities throughout Queensland. As a commissioned officer he has led operational patrol groups, managed prosecutions services in the Legal Division and commanded Protective Services. In 2020 A/AC Hill was recruited into the role of Chief of Staff for the Commissioner of Police.
Following that, he established and commanded the new Aviation Capability Command. A proven leader with over 38 years of experience delivering outstanding results for Queenslanders, Marcus is enthusiastic about organisational transformation and leading change across diverse portfolios.
He has a Master of Leadership and Management (Policing) from Charles Sturt University and a Graduate certificate in Road Safety from Monash University among other accreditations. He is currently completing an Executive Master of Public Administration from Griffith University.
Cross Agency Leadership
Major General (Retired) Jake Ellwood, Chief Executive Officer, Queensland Reconstruction Authority
On 3 March 2023, the Premier of Queensland announced the appointment of Major General (Retd) Jake Ellwood as Chief Executive Officer of the Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA). His appointment to the role of CEO will ensure QRA continues to support Queenslanders following disasters through recovery, reconstruction and resilience works and funding.
Major General Ellwood was the State Recovery Coordinator for the 2021-22 Southern Queensland Floods, a series of repeated and devastating events across many Queensland communities. The damage was widespread and Queensland continues to face one of the biggest recovery operations in its history, spanning 39 of Queensland’s 77 local government areas.
Major General Ellwood served as Commander of the 1st Division, based in Brisbane, and as Deputy Chief of Army. He was national coordinator for the Australian Defence Force’s response to the Black Summer bushfires in 2019-20 and has served in Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, and on two tours in East Timor.
The Queensland Reconstruction Authority was established in 2011 following the unprecedented damage caused by the 2010-11 Queensland floods and Tropical Cyclone Yasi. It was the first agency of its kind in Australia, and was made a permanent part of the Queensland Government in June 2015. QRA has since helped Queensland recover from more than 100 natural disaster events.
Janet England, General Manager, Queensland Reconstruction Authority
Prior to joining QRA in 2012, Janet had an extensive career in media, corporate public affairs, major events and government.
Janet holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
A/Commissioner Stephen Smith, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services
Steve is the Acting Deputy Commissioner - Fire and Rescue Service, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services. Steve joined the Service in 1994, progressing through to Assistant Commissioner rank in 2015.
Steve has served in various regional and state roles and in a variety of specialist areas. He has extensive knowledge, skills and experience, both domestically and internationally, in emergency and crisis management with a particular interest in leadership and capability development.
A/Assistant Commissioner Rob Boniwell, Emergency Management and Community Capability
Rob Boniwell AFSM is the Acting Assistant Commissioner of QFES Emergency Management and Community Capability (EMCC).
Rob began his firefighting career in 1994, serving in two Fire and Rescue Services in the United Kingdom, before transferring to Queensland Fire and Rescue Service in January 2006. Rob has performed a diverse range of roles within emergency services, including frontline operational firefighting, community education, specialist and technical response, training and emergency management, relations and standards and most recently, state operational coordination. Rob now leads the QFES EMCC Directorate that includes the State Operational Coordination Branch, Community Resilience and Risk Mitigation Branch and Community Capability and Volunteerism Branch. Additionally, he is the QFES Disaster Management Executive lead as part of the Government’s Reform Implementation Taskforce.
Rob has a passion for working in partnership with disaster management stakeholders at all levels and has led operations during several major events, such as the National Bushfires in 2019/20, Covid-19 Pandemic Operations and the Brisbane Floods in 2022. Rob was awarded the Australian Fire Service Medal in January 2023 for distinguished service in building fire, emergency and disaster management capabilities over the past 30 years.
A/Assistant Commissioner Brian Cox, State Emergency Service
Brian Cox was appointed Director Operations, State Emergency Service (SES), in March 2016.
Brian comes from an extensive military background starting as a trooper in Armoured Corps in 1980. Brian graduated as an officer in 1984 into the 3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment in Brisbane before eventually transferring to Military Police.
Brian has commanded at all levels within the Royal Australian Corps of Military Police including Provost Marshal (Head of Military Police) of Western Australia, Officer Commanding the 1st Military Police Company and Commanding Officer of the Australian Army Military Police Training Centre and Honorary Head of Corps Military Police in 2000, for which he received the Conspicuous Service Cross in 2003.
Brian has extensive overseas operational experience, including attachments to the British Army of the Rhine in 1986 and again during the first Gulf War in 1991. He was the Chief of Staff in Bougainville, tasked with closing down the five-year peace mission and in 2005 was appointed the Australian National Commander in East Timor. He has also served overseas in specialist assignments in the South Pacific and South Korea and also appointed as a senior investigator for the Chief of Defence in Afghanistan in 2010.
Brian has served in all major disaster events in Queensland either a Defence or SES capacity since 2011. He received the Emergency Services Medal in 2021 for services to the Queensland communities. He is also currently the Honorary Colonel of the Royal Australian Corps of Military Police and the President of the Military Police Association of Australia.
Business Reform Coordinators
Chief Superintendent John Bosnjak, Disaster Management
Raised in North Queensland near Mount Garnet, John has been a sworn police officer for 36 years and has worked in regional areas such as Townsville, Cairns, Atherton, Mount Molloy, Mareeba, Tiaro, Cunnamulla and the Sunshine Coast.
He has been working in the Queensland Police Service Disaster Management portfolio since 2015 and was the Commander of the State Disaster Coordination Centre through significant events affecting Queensland, including the Central Queensland fires, Tropical Cyclone Debbie and the 2022 South East Queensland Floods.
John has been appointed as the Business Reform Coordinator for Disaster Management within the RIT, which will see functions of disaster management currently supported by Queensland Fire and Emergency Services transition to the Queensland Police Service and Queensland Reconstruction Authority.
Business Reform Coordinator Stephen Dabinett, State Emergency Service
Also known as ‘Dabs’, Former Stephen Dabinett has been with the Queensland Police Service for 42 years, holding leadership roles in operational, corporate and specialist policing units. Last serving as Chief Superintendent of North Brisbane District before joining the Reform Implementation Taskforce.
In 2020, Dabs led the Brisbane Covid response, standing up airport borders and hotel quarantine systems and working with Queensland Health and commercial operators. As the Superintendent, Specialist Response Group, Dabs led tactical and specialist officers from around Australia during major events like G20 and the Commonwealth Games. He also led officers into the devastated towns of the Lockyer Valley during the 2010-11 flooding disaster.
Recently awarded an Australian Police Medal for dedication and demonstration of professional and diligent police leadership, Dabs also holds a Masters-level qualification. His passion and dedication to the greater Queensland community saw him appointed as the Business Reform Coordinator for SES within the RIT, which will involve Queensland’s extraordinary SES staff and volunteers transition to the Queensland Police Service.
Business Reform Coordinator Greg Ringuet, Marine Rescue Queensland
Greg Ringuet has almost 40 years’ experience with the Queensland Police Service, including 15 years’ experience leading specialist police teams. During almost two decades working in regional and remote areas of Queensland including Cairns, Thursday Island, Aurukun, Atherton and Mackay, Greg gained significant experience as a police negotiator. This led to him being appointed the State Negotiation Coordinator in 2000 and later as an Inspector with the Special Emergency Response Team.
In 2013, he moved to the Water Police and for five years overviewed its centralisation, fleet modernisation and operating procedures. Under the RIT, Greg has been appointed the Business Reform Coordinator for Marine Rescue Queensland, which will see the functions of the State’s two volunteer marine rescue organisations transitioning to an entity within the Queensland Police Service.
Assistant Commissioner David Hermann, Fire & Rescue Service
David joined the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services on 26 February 1990, located at various stations within Logan and Gold Coast Commands until promotion to Station Officer – Ipswich in 2000. David actively sought development opportunities to increase his operational capability, organisational knowledge and agility which saw him transferred to Far Northern Region – Cairns in the role of Regional Operational Support Officer responsible for the development and coordination of rural, remote and specialist response plans.
In December 2004 David was promoted to the rank of Inspector and transferred to QFRS Academy, Whyte Island responsible for Firefighter Training. Success in this role saw David transferred to head office at Kedron Park where he established the Operational Capability and Improvement Unit within the State Operations Directorate. It was during this time that David completed his Cat III Urban Search and Rescue Command qualification prior to participating in the command team leading numerous domestic and international deployments including the 2009 Pendang (Indonesia) Earthquake, 2011 South Eastern Queensland Flooding Disaster, Cyclone Yasi and Christchurch Earthquake.
David continued to gain organisational experience as the Area Commander – Ipswich Command prior to promotion to Superintendent - West Moreton Zone within South Eastern Region. David was promoted in January 2016 to Chief Superintendent in the role of Director Regional Operations – South Eastern Region with the responsibility to establish, enhance and assess regional operations that ensures the best utilisation of human, financial and capital resources to effectively deliver services to some 1.2M residents through 36 Fire and Rescue Stations. In April of 2018 David oversaw the regional delivery of Queensland Fire and Emergency Services support to the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.
In September 2018 David was promoted to the position of Assistant Commissioner, Northern Region responsible for all QFES business and emergency response service delivery through Fire and Rescue Service, Rural Fire Service and State Emergency Services. While in this role David was the Senior Executive Officer accountable for the safe and efficient operational response to the 2018 Central Queensland Bushfires and the 2019 North Queensland extreme monsoon weather event which resulted in unprecedented flooding of the City of Townsville and surrounding western Queensland communities. David has recently been appointed to the position of Assistant Commissioner of the South Western Region, effective January 2020.