National Emergency Management Stockpile
Australian communities hit by disaster need access to life saving resources, including:
- safe emergency shelter
- emergency power
- clean water for drinking and hygiene.
The National Emergency Management Stockpile (NEMS) Capability helps roll out these critical goods and services quickly. It's maintained by us for the Australian Government.
New investment
The Australian Government is currently investing in the NEMS Capability.
The goal is to increase agility and speed in supporting states and territories in crisis. The NEMS Capability will support disaster-impacted communities, when and where that support is needed.
What increasing NEMS Capability means
State and territories will be able to access extra support. They may choose to do this when they've used all their resources in response to severe disasters.
Increasing support reduces the nation’s reliance on the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The ADF will then be able to concentrate more on national defence rather than domestic response and relief efforts.
3 ways NEMS Capability makes a difference
NEMS Capability has three components. Each part supports a rapid critical disaster response.
1. The NEMS Standing Offer Panel
The NEMS Standing Offer Panel launched in May 2024. It's available for use by authorised Australian government agencies through the AusTender website.
It provides a streamlined purchasing mechanism for government agencies. It helps access specific response and relief goods and services. These support communities in the event of a disaster. Information about the Panel is on AusTender under SON4050420.
2. A physical stockpile
The National Emergency Management Stockpile was established in the 2023-24 financial year. The stockpile is made up of re-deployable assets and single-use, seasonal consumables. This includes self-sustaining emergency shelters. There's also water desalination and purification systems, high-output power generation and flood gear. The stockpile will generally be used when states and territories ask for non-financial help from the Australian Government.
3. Memoranda of Understanding and strategic partnerships
NEMS has built relationships with other Australian Government humanitarian and crisis response capabilities. This will make sure that governments can keep supporting Australian communities during and after disasters.