Disaster resilience becomes a national priority
Disaster resilience has taken the front seat as the Federal Government ramps up efforts to keep Australians safe before, during and after natural disasters.
Australia will invest in a national stockpile of emergency housing, generators, potable water and other equipment and services communities need during and after a disaster. The $8.6 million National Emergency Management Stockpile (NEMS) will provide reliable, readily deployable life sustaining resources for state and territory governments to meet the acute needs of disaster-impacted communities.
Minister for Emergency Management Murray Watt explained that establishing a national stockpile was the need of the hour.
“Since 2020, more than 80 per cent of Australia’s Local Government Areas have been impacted by disasters,” Minister Watt said.
“The last three years have demonstrated that the displacement of thousands of people after a disaster is becoming the norm, due to the increased frequency, intensity and scale of disasters. The NEMS builds a national emergency capability to support states and territories when their capacity is exceeded. The NEMS will be able to quickly scale up the response following a disaster and get communities back up and running with essentials like shelter, water and power.”
Along with establishing the NEMS, the Federal Government will also invest $236 million over a decade to establish a national, reliable flood warning network. Timely and accurate access to flood forecasts and warnings will help communities, emergency services and businesses to better prepare and respond to flooding events.
The funding will be used to purchase and upgrade high priority flood gauges that are currently owned by local, state and territory governments in flood-prone areas. Based on the advice of the Bureau of Meteorology, work in Queensland will be prioritised, as it has been identified as Australia’s most disaster-prone state with high risk of flooding.
Minister for the Environment Tanya Plibersek said this investment will help keep safe some of the most at-risk communities in Australia.
“Severe weather events, including floods, are becoming more extreme and more frequent,” she said.
“The people of Queensland and Northern NSW especially know that from recent tragic experience. When these events occur, people need access to the best available information, in real time.”
“Reliable flood warnings will help Australians prepare for moments of extreme weather. It will keep people safer as they happen. And being better prepared will, when the water recedes, help reduce the financial impact of flooding on families and businesses.”