An emergency or disaster can happen no matter where you are. This International Day for Risk Reduction, we take the opportunity to showcase how we’re helping Australians in times of emergency where they live, wherever they are in Australia.

Australian Warning System

The Australian Warning System (AWS) was established in 2021 to provide consistent warnings for emergencies like bushfire, flood, storm, extreme heat and severe weather.

We’ve supported the implementation of the AWS through funding to the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC) for a national education campaign to raise public awareness of the system and coordinate delivery with the states and territories.

Up until recently, there have been different warning systems for different hazard types across Australia. This new national approach provides consistency in messaging regardless of the emergency or location and includes three warning levels and a set of icons to show incidents on websites and apps, supported by calls to action.

The three warning levels are:

• Advice: An incident has started. There is no immediate danger. Stay up to date in case the situation changes.
• Watch and Act: There is a heightened level of threat. Conditions are changing and you need to start taking action now to protect you and your family.
• Emergency Warning: An Emergency Warning is the highest level of warning. You may be in danger and need to take action immediately. Any delay now puts your life at risk.

Australia’s Review of the Sendai Framework

On this International Day for Disaster Reduction, we also take the opportunity to highlight an important piece of work we have recently completed – Australia’s national midterm review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.

As the key international framework to drive disaster risk reduction, the Sendai Framework seeks to achieve a substantial reduction of disaster risk by 2030. As 2022-2023 marks the half-way point of the 15-year Sendai Framework, Australia was asked to take stock of progress to-date in implementing the framework domestically through a midterm review.

Extensive engagement was undertaken to inform the review, which was conducted concurrent to the development of the Second National Action Plan for the National Disaster Risk Reduction Framework. As part of the review, we engaged with all state and territory governments, as well as local government, Commonwealth agencies, private industry and the not-for-profit sector.

Australia’s national midterm review was just as much about looking back as it was about looking forward. It provided an important opportunity to gain insights, identify emerging best practice, and report on the achievements to-date in reducing disaster risks in Australia. More information on how we’re helping reduce disaster risk can be found at the Disaster Risk Reduction Package page.

Related articles: Knowing the Australian Fire Danger Ratings could save your life

One of Western Australia’s major tourism destinations, the City of Busselton is home to the longest wooden jetty in the Southern Hemisphere.

Located in a very low lying area, this popular tourist destination is vulnerable to flooding from both winter and tropical storms and has this year received major funding to reduce the risk of coastal flooding.

Mitigating the risk of coastal flooding in the City of Busselton

Joint funding from the Commonwealth via the Preparing Australian Communities Program – Local stream and the City of Busselton is supporting the enhancement of the city’s emergency response preparedness through early warning systems, and providing physical barriers to protect against storm surges.

The project comprises four components, with the first initiative the offshore installation of a real-time seabed wave and water lever recorder near the Busselton Jetty. This will allow monitoring and validation of storm surges and improvements to real-time storm surge predictions by the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) and the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES).

The second component consists of coastal investigations, including up-to-date coastal flood modelling from tropical cyclones. The third part of the project consists of mapping the local fauna and vegetation to help understand the existing natural infrastructure.

Rounding out the final part of this project will be the design and construction of coastal levees in known vulnerable areas adjacent to the low lying part of Busselton.

Since 1910, the area has been impacted by nearly 40 tropical cyclones, leading to coastal erosion and ‘minor flooding’ due to the low-lying nature of the Busselton foreshore. Subtle changes to the timing and nature of these events over time have seen an increase of ‘moderate’ flooding, as occurred during Tropical Cyclone Alby in 1978. The risk of erosion and flooding will increase as sea levels continue to rise.

The project, anticipated to be completed in March 2025, is funded under Round 1 of the Preparing Australian Communities Program – Local stream (PACP-L). Learn how we’re supporting communities to better prepare and recover from future disasters at Preparing Australian Communities Program - Local | National Emergency Management Agency (nema.gov.au).

About this project

Who: City of Busselton

What: Mitigating the risk of coastal flooding from tropical cyclone storm surges in the large regional City of Busselton, in southwest Western Australia.

Program funding: Preparing Australian Communities Program – Local

Funding received: $ 3,532,500 (50/50 with City of Busselton – project total $7,065,000)

Benefits: This project seeks to build community resilience in emergency planning, and through impact modelling and construction of built and natural infrastructure to help protect the Busselton foreshore and nearby urban areas from storm surge flooding.

Estimated project end date: 31/03/2025

Related articles: Disaster Ready Fund to deliver long-term resilience | National Emergency Management Agency (nema.gov.au)

Three billion animals were likely killed or displaced by the 2019/2020 Black Summer bushfires. 2.46 billion reptiles, 61,000 koalas and almost 143 million other native mammals were caught up in the path of these devastating bushfires.¹

After such destruction, this Australian Wildlife Week highlights the need to support our precious wildlife to help their recovery and prepare for future disasters.

Australian Wildlife Week is celebrated nationally in the first week of October to encourage a positive relationship between humanity and nature.² It provides an opportunity to shine the light on how some of our program funding is supporting the work of committed wildlife parks and zoos that are caring for our native species.

Billabong Zoo: Wildlife and Koala Park

One of the funding recipients is the Billabong Zoo: Wildlife and Koala Park located in Port Macquarie. The project funding from Preparing Australian Communities Program – Local, is to install a new Perimeter Fire Suppression and Wildlife Protection System. The system is designed to protect the residents from the threat of bushfires, in and around the park.

Late 2019, the park came under direct threat from bushfire, with live embers threatening the safety of their precious residents. Fortunately, the local Rural Fire Service managed to keep the fire away from the property borders.

The new system to help them be prepared for the next fire, includes pipework and specially designed fireproof sprinkler heads, which run via the mains water supply, around the entire perimeter of the park. It will also include a mobile firefighting and water trailer, to assist with combatting any fires that occur in and around the park.

Mark Stone, Director/Owner of the park, spoke about how the fire came after a long period of drought and the lack of water combined with rudimentary firefighting equipment made the encroaching fire a real threat.

“Really I just had buckets and limited water which was just not going to help with such a huge fire. With the new system and firefighting trailer, we will be so much better prepared for the next fire.”

About this Project

Who: Billabong Zoo: Koala and Wildlife Park

What: To install a new Perimeter Fire Suppression and Wildlife Protection System and mobile firefighting and water trailer

Disaster Funding Program: Preparing Australian Communities Program - Local

Funding: $28,760

Benefit delivered: The park will be better prepared with the new equipment and will be much more agile to deal with the threat of future fires

Stage: Underway with anticipated completion before December 2022

Wildlife Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre

Another project dedicated to the welfare of our native animals is the Wildlife Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre to be constructed in Cobar Park near Lithgow which is at the preparatory stage. The hospital will service approximately a 100 kilometre radius in NSW’s Central West and Tablelands, an area surrounded by national parks and high density wildlife populations.

This project funded by the Local Economic Recovery program (LER) will build a regional Hospital, providing a venue for the rescue, rehabilitation and release of native species.

One specific feature of the new hospital will be onsite accommodation for a live-in vet or emergency nurse, in order to provide 24 hour professional care.

Working in collaboration with the established Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital for direction and ongoing management, Trevor Evans, Secretary to LER grant applicant, Australian Ecosystems Foundation Inc. (AEFI), hopes to have the hospital operational by mid-2023. AEFI is a not-for-profit, registered environmental organisation dedicated to saving Australian wildlife by protecting habitats and maintaining natural ecological processes.

“The number of animals badly injured during the Black Summer bushfires was just soul destroying. With this new hospital, we should be able to help so many more animals when the next bushfire season hits. There are so few animals left, those that are remaining are precious – with so many very close to being on the endangered list - we have to try to save every individual animal we can. ”

About this Project

Who: Wildlife Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre - grant applicant, Australian Ecosystems Foundation Inc. (AEFI)

What: To provide a regional venue for the rescue, rehabilitation and release of native species Disaster

Funding Program: Local Economic Recovery program

Funding: $720,500

Benefit delivered: The new hospital and rehab centre will service a large 100 kilometre radius area for injured native animals

Stage: Underway with anticipated completion mid 2023

To read more on how we’re helping communities impacted by the Black Summer bushfires visit: 2019-20 Black Summer Bushfires | National Emergency Management Agency (nema.gov.au)

¹'Devastating': more than 61,000 koalas among 3 billion animals affected by bushfire crisis | Bushfires | The Guardian

²Australian Wildlife Week 2022 | Australian Wildlife Society (aws.org.au)

Six months on, the recovery of the Northern Rivers region continues with a range of government programs to help the community get back on its feet and prepare for future disasters.

The National Emergency Management Agency is supporting the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales to drive long term resilience by delivering priority projects that mitigate the impact of disasters on communities and economies in the region, and ensure that they are in a better position to recover from future disasters.

Australian Wildlife Week, celebrated across the country during the first week of October, provides a timely reminder for all of us to consider the importance of our forests and bushlands, wetlands and waterways, that are home to unique native animals – particularly in light of the impact from devastating natural disasters like the Black Summer bushfires. ¹ 

The scale of these bushfires and severity of its impact on our native forests² and on our wildlife was unprecedented, highlighting the vulnerability of our native species and the need to protect their habitat against future disasters.

Walkabout Wildlife Sanctuary

The Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park experienced the impacts of the Black Summer bushfires first hand. The sanctuary is home to more than 200 native Australian animals with many of them able to be free-range. In 2019/2020, all animals had to be evacuated when the bushfires reached the sanctuary’s borders on the NSW Central Coast. The evacuation itself was stressful and dangerous for the animals.

After this event, the sanctuary identified the need to significantly improve the ability to defend the sanctuary and the community against future bushfires through the upgrade of existing fire trails. Funded by the Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grants Program, the recently completed upgrade allows for the increased protection of the sanctuary and the surrounding landscape which contains native animals and culturally significant sites. These trails will also allow for access for the NSW Rural Fire Service Category 1 Firefighting Vehicles to navigate these trails to reach fire fronts.

With this upgrade, the sanctuary is now a defendable gateway against bushfires reaching the Coast from the South, with the sanctuary's 170 acres of natural bushland forming a fire break between Popran National Park and Glenworth Valley in the south/south-west, and the suburbs of the Central Coast to the north-west.

Breed-for-wild release program

Tassin Barnard, General Manager of the sanctuary spoke to the importance of their work to protect the natural habitat, essential for the sanctuary’s breeding program, “Breed for Wild Release”, funded by the NSW Government. This program, which takes up a significant part of the sanctuary, is dedicated to the re-establishment of endangered populations of bilbies, Tasmanian devils and brush-tail rock wallabies. “This work is so important, as when these animals are released back into places like the Blue Mountains National Park, they must have learned the skills to thrive in the wild. We have recently achieved our first wild release to re-establish rock wallaby colonies destroyed by previous bushfires.”

Cultural Education Tours

The sanctuary also includes a number of cultural sites, some dating back 4,000 years, and which make up part of the cultural educational tours that enhance the visitor experience.

“At Walkabout Sanctuary, we are protecting thousands of years' old Aboriginal sites. We must protect them from raging hot fires as it is so important that this remains a place where people can connect with Country to learn about Aboriginal culture.”

The Australian Government supports the preservation and protection of Australia’s unique native habitat and animals. Find out more about all the programs we’re delivering to reduce the impact of disasters and increase resilience across Australia.

About this Project

Who: Walkabout Wildlife Sanctuary

What: To upgrade the Sanctuary’s existing fire trails so they can carry full-sized Category 1 firefighting vehicles to provide increased protection of the Sanctuary and its’ wildlife and the surrounding area.

Disaster Funding: Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grants Program

Funding: $57,620

Benefit delivered: Fire trail upgrades will not only provide better protection for the sanctuary and its’ cultural education and breeding programs but also provide a defendable gateway against bushfires reaching the Central Coast from the south.

Stage: Completed July 2022 Image courtesy of Walkabout Wildlife Sanctuary.

 ¹ 3 billion animals harmed by Australia’s fires | Stories | WWF (worldwildlife.org)

² Australia’s Black Summer a climate wake-up call - ANU

In the aftermath of the Black Summer bushfires that devastated large parts of NSW’s North Coast region, Bushfire Education Workshops are being delivered in primary schools to help kids feel less anxious about bushfires.

The workshops funded by the Australian Government are to be held in 13 primary schools in the Coffs Harbour Local Government Area (LGA) from July 2022 until October 2023. Each workshop will consist of a presentation by the NSW Rural Fire Service and an opportunity for children to participate in building nesting boxes.

Prosper Coffs Harbour Limited, an organisation that promotes protection and enhancement of the natural environment, recently held the first of the workshops at Gumbaynggirr Giingana Freedom School – the first bilingual Aboriginal language school in NSW.

Workshop facilitators, Jamie Bertram from the NSW Rural Fire Service and Nathan Brennan from Bularri Muurlay Nyanggan Aboriginal Corporation, took the children through the ecology of bushfires, cultural bushfire practices and wildlife preservation.

Students learnt about ‘good’ and ‘bad’ fires, the behaviour of fires across the Australian landscape and cultural bushfire practices. The presentation helped to create a greater understanding of bushfires and ease student anxiety around the concept of bushfires, with greater knowledge of bushfire preparedness and how to mitigate risks.

As part of the workshop the children used creative arts to build nesting boxes for a range of native animals such as brush tail possums, small parrots, and kookaburras. The nesting boxes will help to provide homes for wildlife displaced due to habitat loss. Once installed, children can monitor visitors to the nesting boxes through a surveillance camera, meaning that they will be able to stay connected and engaged with the program.

Our locally embedded NEMA officer who attended the workshop, spoke about how the Black Summer bushfires impacted the North Coast region of NSW and the benefits of the workshops that went beyond the children to include their families and broader community.

“Not only will this program increase young people’s knowledge about fire ecology and preparedness it will also allow them to learn about native animals and their habitat. They can then take this knowledge home and share it with their families.”

These workshops were made possible through funding under the Australian Government's Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grants Program.

About this Project

Who: Prosper Coffs Harbour Limited, Coffs Harbour, NSW

What: Bushfire Education Workshops

Disaster Funding: Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grants Program

Funding received: $22,086

Benefits delivered: This project will improve primary school aged children’s awareness of the impact of bushfires and nesting boxes will be constructed to provide refuge for native wildlife displaced by the bushfires across the 13 schools.

Each year bushfire season is accepted as part of our Australian experience, with wildfires devastating communities and vast areas of bushland. Right now this may seem unlikely after all the floods in Eastern Australia this year, but the fall out is that all the rain will generate significant bushland growth, providing a lot of potential fuel as we head into bushfire season.

This is the prediction of Leeton Leigh, the South East Queensland Coordinator for the Firesticks Alliance Indigenous Corporation who said that within his region, post all the recent rain, the landscape was “gearing up” to have the same potential risk as the devastating 2019/20 bushfires.

The Firesticks Alliance provides Indigenous leadership, advocacy and action to protect Country through cultural fire and land management practices, which have reduced bushfire risk in Australia for 50,000 years.

50,000 years of effective land management

We were privileged to be Welcomed to Country by Traditional Owner, Lakota Thompson and witness a cultural burning workshop led by Leeton to learn about the practice and get a closer look at how this fire method helps prevent uncontrolled bushfires.

Leeton was working alongside Traditional Owners from Wirrinyah Conservation Services on Yuggera Country near Boonah, Southern Queensland. Those attending the cultural burning workshop spanned local property owners, Landcare representatives, and workers from Bunya People’s Aboriginal Corporation.

Attendees were keen to build on their own skills and learn more about this practice that has been an integral part of Aboriginal culture for tens of thousands of years.

Like vacuuming the forest floor

Through the workshop, Leeton stepped through what happens before, during and after a cultural burn. Leeton lit a number of small patches of grass and talked about how this will help revive native plants to flourish and push out introduced species.

The small fires are designed to burn slowly enough to allow insects and animals to escape and wildlife like birds recognise the practice and hang around to be rewarded with an opportune meal. He said cultural burns were like giving the forest floor a good vacuum to allow the right vegetation to grow, that in turn also brings native animals.

He also reaffirmed that the timing of the burn was so that the bushland holding so much moisture had time to dry out – these burns are often called “Storm Burns” as they take place after a storm or significant rain event has taken place.

Jake Anderson from Wirrinyah also helped facilitate the workshop. He demonstrated from the previous day’s burn where flames were kept low so the tree canopy did not ignite and only the outside of the bottom bark of the trees was burnt. Both Jake and Leeton spoke of the importance of how cool burning supports soils to improve, retain all the essential native seeds and enables them to hold more moisture.

Soil is everything

Linda Kimba from Boonah Landcare who was part of the day’s workshop also reaffirmed the importance of cultural burning for the preservation of the soil.

“Soil is everything, with cultural burns or cool burns, the essential microbiomes in the soil, that are so vital to everything, are not lost.”

She explained that with cool burns, all the life giving seeds and elements of the soil were kick started by a cool burn which then boosted native habitat and attracted wildlife.

Linda also spoke about the importance of the workshops and the work that Leeton and Firesticks do to increase the number of Indigenous fire practitioners around the country. She explained the importance of cultural burns as an ongoing practice and that a land clearing burn once every 10-20 years does not help communities prepare bushland at risk of bushfires.

Black Summer Bushfire beckons

Leeton also emphasised that as we live in a country regularly at risk of bushfire and with our experience of the Black Summer Bushfires, how important it was to prepare for bushfire season.

He hoped that after such devastation, loss of life including wild life and habitat that governments, businesses and land owners turn to land management techniques that have been used for tens of thousands of years to maintain and care for our beautiful country.

Ongoing bushfire recovery

The Black Summer Bushfire Grants Program is helping communities recover and build back better after the devastating 2019-20 bushfires. This includes providing funding to the Firesticks Alliance to share cultural knowledge and deliver training, jobs and business development in cultural burning. Through this project, Firesticks Alliance is reviving cultural burning which plays an important role in reducing risk and preparing Australia for future disasters.

Related articles: Knowing The Australian Fire Danger Ratings Could Save Your Life