New natural disaster body being established
A National Emergency Committee is being established to help governments around Australia strengthen the country’s resilience to natural disasters.
The committee will comprise specialists from federal, state, territory and local governments, and it will report to the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) and relevant ministerial councils.
Its first task will be to bring together the views of all governments, business, the non-government sector and the community, and formulate a wide-ranging Natural Disaster Resilience Strategy.
COAG says Australian Governments have recognised that a national coordinated effort is required to withstand and recover from natural disasters, given the increasing regularity and severity of the disasters.
It says governments at all levels have a significant role to play in strengthening Australia’s resilience to disasters by:
- developing and implementing effective risk-based land management and planning arrangements, and other mitigation measures;
- having effective arrangements in place to inform people about how to assess risks and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to hazards;
- having clear and effective education systems so people understand what options are available in responding to a hazard as it approaches;
- supporting individuals and communities to prepare for extreme events;
- ensuring the most effective, coordinated response from emergency services and volunteers in times of disaster; and
- working to help communities recover from devastation and helping them to learn and adapt in the aftermath of disastrous events.
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