Communiqués
Augmented Australasian Police Ministers' Council
7 April 2006, Melbourne
Enhancing Australia's emergency management capability
Emergency and Police Ministers from across Australia agree they want an early finalisation of a national emergency management plan (catastrophic disasters) that would include provision of fundamental necessities such as food, shelter, medical and financial services to the Australian community.
The ministers have met in Melbourne today with the Attorney-General Philip Ruddock, and a representative of the President of the Australian Local Government Association, to consider recommendations of a recently completed review of the nation's ability to respond to, and recover from a catastrophic disaster should one occur in Australia.
The special meeting of the Augmented Australasian Police Ministers' Council considered and endorsed the report on the Review of Australia's Ability to Respond and Recover from Catastrophic Disasters that commenced in 2004 following a recommendation from the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in its report Natural Disasters in Australia; Reforming mitigation, relief and recovery arrangements.
By definition, a catastrophic disaster is beyond any one government's ability to cope in terms of response and recovery arrangements.
The ministers agreed that, with the completion of the review and consideration of these issues, this meeting of the Council is very timely in light of recent international catastrophic natural disasters such as the Indian Ocean Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina in the US and the Pakistan Earthquake. Closer, on our shores, Cyclone Larry's impact on Northern Queensland, while not catastrophic, has certainly had a severe impact on the community, economy and infrastructure of the region.
The Australian emergency management community is always reviewing and improving its capability with three major reviews in the past four years. In addition to the COAG Review of Natural Disasters, there has been the COAG National Bushfire Inquiry, completed in April 2004 and the current Review of Catastrophic Disaster Preparedness that will be presented to COAG for consideration in the near future. As a way forward, the Council has called for the recommendations of these three reviews to be consolidated into a single implementation program.
This plan, currently being prepared by the Australian Emergency Management Committee, would support the National Emergency Protocol as adopted by COAG on 10 February 2006.
The Council agreed that jurisdictions should undertake further work on the agreed priorities identified from the Catastrophic Disasters Review, with the intention of enhancing Australia's emergency management capability and capacity.
Augmented Australasian Police Ministers' Council
7 April 2006, Melbourne
