Anne Chamberlain always wanted to work in aviation.
‘I would always tell my family I wanted to work with aircraft. I had envisioned a career in aviation from a very young age.’
‘When I left school, I studied aviation and then immediately joined the commercial sector.’
Anne began working for commercial airlines within Australia and overseas, with a focus on safety and emergency procedures, compliance and doctrine.
‘I spent 16 years in the commercial sector.’
When the pandemic shut the commercial industry down, Anne found her way to DEECA and the Victorian Aviation Services Unit.
‘I had no idea the aviation emergency and land management response sector existed. It’s not something you see broadly advertised or spoken about’.
‘This year marks 21 years for me in aviation, I feel privileged to work in this sector and contribute to meaningful work that supports the broader Victorian community.’
‘Victoria’s firefighting aviation fleet supports firefighters on the ground and is an important part of how we keep bushfires as small as possible to prevent them from impacting communities, infrastructure and the environment.’
As the Safety, Risk and Assurance Manager, Anne and her team manage aviation safety, including the state’s fleet and call-when-needed aviation audit program, compliance and quality assurance.
It’s a role with sector-wide significance.
‘Our team leads the sector’s Aviation Safety Forum. The forum brings together Victoria’s aviation sector-wide partner agencies to discuss and collaborate on safety matters.
‘We look at work health and safety, inter-agency operating procedures, assurance, and we monitor any trends that might be occurring.’
‘The broader Aviation Services Unit are one piece of a really large puzzle, but what we do means that during bushfires or emergency events, Victoria has the aircraft and support available for response.’
‘Our work ensures those aircraft are compliant to operate so they can be effectively called upon to help keep communities safe.’
Page last updated: 13/01/25