Australia needs to bounce back from both terrorism and natural disasters
Release of ASPI Strategic Insight Taking a punch: Building a more resilient Australia
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) today released a new report on how Australia can bounce back from all hazards, not just terrorism. The report is written by the former Director General of Emergency Management Australia, David Templeman and ASPI’s Research Director, Anthony Bergin. The paper recommends a number of specific measures to build a more resilient Australia including:
encourage schools and communities to plan on how they would cope without essentials and for how long. Supermarket check-outs could provide customers with a pantry list of products and food items people should stock in anticipation of a need. And we should invest in basic first aid training for all Year Five school children
amalgamate our national counter-terrorism and emergency management protection arrangements into one structure
create a national community information and disaster warning system
factor climate change into emergency planning
examine if disaster response by our military ought to be regarded as a core mission and what this might mean for selecting equipment and dispersal of military assets around Australia
undertake realistic testing of our health assets in mass casualty disasters
draw large business suppliers of goods and services much more into emergency planning
introduce a program that provides some assistance with personal costs or childcare support to emergency volunteers and a national scheme to assist employers of emergency workers, so they might receive compensation if they face difficulties in releasing employees to undertake emergency duty
incorporate robustness and alternative supply options in design as part of the selection criteria for infrastructure projects by the Rudd Government’s new advisory body, Infrastructure Australia
designate the ABC as the approved national emergency broadcaster with the ability to interrupt immediately any program to provide community advice on any aspect of a likely or resultant disaster.