Australia’s first responders are now one step closer to improved communications during an emergency, following the establishment of the Public Safety Mobile Broadband (PSMB) Taskforce.

The announcement of the Taskforce comes ahead of the National Bushfire Summit, being held in Canberra today (Monday).

The PSMB Taskforce will be responsible for laying the groundwork for the long-term public safety communications infrastructure, prioritising the partnerships with state and territory governments to ensure they have a voice in its design.

Australia’s first National Disaster Preparedness Summit will get underway in Canberra today, as the country gears up for hot, dry spring and summer seasons. 

The Prime Minister and the Minister for Emergency Management will join around 250 crisis management, response and recovery specialists from governments, industry, community and the not-for-profit sector who are attending the two-day event convened by the Government’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), on September 25-26. 

Joint media release with the Hon Brendan O’connor MP and the Hon Stephen Dawson MLC

The Albanese and Cook Governments are delivering support for the clean-up, rehabilitation and monitoring of the long-term impacts of affected environmental, heritage and cultural assets impacted by the January floods, through a new joint funded grants program.

Joint media release with the Hon John Graham MLC

A number of arts and cultural communities affected by severe weather and flood events in February and June last year will be supported to rebuild damaged arts and cultural infrastructure, as recovery support continues.

More than $21 million has been committed by the Albanese and Minns Governments for 26 projects supporting eligible arts and cultural organisations to continue to provide important cultural experiences to the community across eight Local Government Areas (LGAs).

Joint media release with the Hon Senator Nita Green and the Hon Mark Furner MP

Queensland’s flood-affected primary producers, small businesses and not-for-profit organisations will now have more time to apply for extraordinary disaster assistance, in response to the monsoonal floods that inundated the north-west in early 2023. 

Joint media release with the Hon Leanne Linard MP

Progress is underway on 10 projects which support the recovery of threatened species in communities impacted by 2022 flood events.

The Albanese and Palaszczuk Governments have jointly funded the projects, under the $38.9 million Environmental Recovery Program, which is a cost-shared program under the Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements, (DRFA) focused on the recovery of waterways and biodiversity in communities.

Joint media release with the Hon Catherine King MP, the Hon Rita Saffioti MLA and the Hon Stephen Dawson MLC

The first segments of the new Fitzroy River Bridge deck have been launched today, marking the latest milestone in rebuilding this vital link following flood damage associated with ex-Tropical Cyclone Ellie.

The bridge deck is being launched span by span with a 36-metre segment positioned every eight days until completed.

​​Joint media release with the Hon Tara Moriarty MLC and ​​​the Hon Jihad Dib MP​

Flood-impacted medium-size businesses across the central west and southern NSW can now apply for up to $200,000 in support through a jointly-funded Albanese and Minns Government grant program, delivered by Service NSW.

The Medium Business Support Grant is available to business and non-profit organisations with more than 20 and less than 200 full-time equivalent employees who were directly impacted by storms and floods from August to September 2022.

Today marks the first anniversary for the Albanese Government’s new National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), which united the recovery and response arms of federal natural disaster management.

In the past 12 months, NEMA has taken major steps to significantly enhance the country’s disaster risk reduction, preparedness and emergency response capability to make Australia better prepared for disasters well into the future.