Dr. Rina Bruinsma is the Head of External Engagement for the Australian Red Cross where she has responsibility for public policy, research, government relations and engagement with key national and international stakeholders.
Previously Dr. Bruinsma was the Deputy Coordinator-General for Disaster Resilience and Recovery at the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). NEMA is an executive agency under the Australian Department of Home Affairs and is responsible for coordinating and managing a national-level emergency response to help those affected by natural disasters, including droughts, bushfires and floods. After Australia’s Black Summer bushfires, Rina was a Deputy Coordinator with the National Bushfire Recovery Agency, temporarily established to provide support to those affected by the 2019-20 bushfires.
Dr. Bruinsma has extensive public service experience in finance, labour market policy and transformation across the public sector. This includes as acting Deputy Commissioner at the Australian Public Service Commission, and First Assistant Commissioner with the Department of Finance. In these roles, she led work on the transformation and reform of the public sector, across people, systems, and culture.
Rina has worked in various roles in policy development and implementation since 2006, including policy and programs that support people with disability and mental health issues, mature age job seekers, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and First Nations people.
