Independent Review of National Natural Disaster Governance Arrangements
Australia’s national disaster governance arrangements need major changes to grapple with the increasing size, intensity, cost and complexity of climate-fuelled natural disasters.
These findings were arrived at by the Independent Review of National Natural Disaster Governance Arrangements, led by Dr Robert Glasser (ASPI Senior Fellow, Climate and Security Policy Centre).
The Review, which the Government released publicly last Friday, was commissioned in 2023 by the National Emergency Management Ministers’ Meeting, a Ministerial Council reporting to the National Cabinet.
“ Climate change makes it fundamentally necessary to discard the notion that national-scale natural disasters happen only infrequently; they will rapidly become annual occurrences, with less and less “down time” for first responders to recover, relief supplies and emergency equipment to be replenished, infrastructure to be re-built, and for communities to re-establish their resilience .” the report noted.
“ The litmus test of the effectiveness of Australia’s emergency management planning, investments, capacities, and governance arrangements, at every jurisdictional level across Australia, should be the extent to which we are mitigating the risks of intensifying, increasingly national-scale, year-round hazards, in which emergency preparedness, response, relief, and recovery will be required simultaneously. ”
The overarching conclusion in the Review is that the governance arrangements do not adequately address this emerging environment. This is reflected in a variety of ways described in the report:
- Siloed approaches to address risks and threats that should be integrated;
- Agendas and discussions in governance meetings focused on immediate challenges, to the detriment of emerging, more fundamental, and therefore more urgent, challenges;
- Underinvestment in risk reduction and resilience;
- Insufficient consideration of the sweeping changes and innovations required to address the emerging risks.
The findings emerged from extensive consultations with dozens of experts and decision-makers in the private sector, foundations, civil society, and the hazards research community – as well as Ministers, senior officials, Commissioners, and Chief Officers from Commonwealth, State, and Territorial Governments.
“ The climate is continuing to warm rapidly. We are now entering uncharted waters, where our historical experience in a broad array of areas, including our experience of disasters, is no longer a reliable guide for what lies ahead. This has enormous consequences for how we prepare for these extreme events and for how we structure and manage our national governance arrangements ,” the report states.
Nerida King Joins ASPI DC as Resident Senior Fellow
We e are excited to announce the addition of Nerida King as Resident Senior Fellow to the ASPI DC team!
With more than 20 years’ experience in policy, security and intelligence roles in the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, including postings to the U.S., China and the Soloman Islands, Nerida comes to ASPI with expertise in national security, foreign policy, US-China and the Indo-Pacific, AUKUS, US Congress, maritime security and deterrence and foreign influence.
Most recently, Nerida was Deputy Chief Congressional at the Australian Embassy in Washington DC, where she led congressional engagement on cross-portfolio China issues and on AUKUS, including the passage of AUKUS enabling legislation in December 2023.
Welcome, Nerida!
Submission to the Senate Inquiry on right wing extremism
This submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee inquiry into right wing extremist movements in Australia reflects the opinions of the four authors. It was originally submitted to the Committee in April 2024. The authors gave further evidence to the Parliamentary Committee on 24th July 2024.
The Submission makes 5 recommendations to the Committee:
- Terminology: Government and policymakers should shift from “right-wing extremism” to more specific terms such as “ideologically motivated violent extremism” (IMVE), “issue-based grievances” or group specific language (e.g. ‘neo-Nazi’, ‘violent misogynists’) to better reflect the difference in radicalisation motivations and avoid politicisation.
- Clarification: Government and policymakers should emphasise the distinction between extremism, violent extremism and terrorism, highlighting that only violent extremism and terrorism are criminal or national security issues.
- Freedom of Expression: Government and policymakers should recognise that freedom of speech and respectful engagement are vital for national resilience, and avoid criminalising extremist views that don’t involve violence.
- Zero-Tolerance for Criminality: Government and policymakers should maintain a zero-tolerance policy for criminal actions related to extremism, including hate speech and violence.
- Non-Law Enforcement Policies: Government and policymakers should increase funding for community programs promoting civic engagement and social cohesion through initiatives like the Community Engagement Resilience Grant.
The submission also discusses relevant topics to the inquiry such as: the nature and extent of movements and persons holding extremist right-wing views in Australia; young people and radicalisation; measures to counter violent extremism in Australia focusing on young people; and maintaining an apolitical approach.
The submission concludes that Australia’s approach to right wing extremism should create a balance between security and freedom, and promote respectful debate while simultaneously addressing harmful extremism. Policies should be comprehensive and adapt to the ongoing situation, prioritising the protection of democratic values and maintaining social cohesion.
Roundtable on Climate Resiliency and Investment in the Pacific Islands
On 29 July, ASPI DC was thrilled to host a roundtable discussion on Climate Resiliency and Investment in the Pacific Islands, which brought together government officials across a variety of agencies and departments, members of the think tank community, diplomats from Indo-Pacific countries, Congressional staffers, and experts in climate adaptation and development finance to consider the challenges and opportunities for climate mitigation and adaption in the Pacific Islands.
Following the viewing of an informational video from ASPI’s Head of Climate and Security Policy Centre, Michael Copage, ASPI DC’s Tasfia Zeba and Morgan Chen led the event, which solicited crucial insights regarding the need for greater cooperation among development finance organizations and nations, the importance of strategic messaging for target audiences, and the necessity of implementing a dynamic, bottom-up approach that considers regional perspectives and emboldens climate-affected communities in the solution calculus.
This topic is highly important to us, and we look forward to propelling the discussion further.
July Policy in the Pub
On 26 July, ASPI DC hosted a lively iteration of Policy in the Pub in conjunction with the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games. Friends across think tanks, business, and government came together at the Fox and Hounds lounge in Dupont Circle to cheer on Team Australia, watching the athletes parade down the Seine in green blazers. Australians and Americans at the event partook in playful banter over who would solicit more medals in key events: swimming, rugby, and soccer, in particular. We would like to thank all attendees who continue to make Policy in the Pub an exciting opportunity to carve out the Australian perspective in the American landscape.
ASPI co-hosts Australia-ROK Critical Tech Track 1.5 in Seoul
On July 9, 2024, ASPI co-hosted the Australia-Republic of Korea Critical Technologies Track 1.5 Dialogue in Seoul with the Science & Technology Policy Institute (STEPI).
The Track 1.5 brought together Australian and Korean government, industry and research stakeholders for a dialogue about the role of critical technologies such as biotechnology, AI, quantum and space technologies for regional stability. The discussions focused on how Australia and the Republic of Korea can deepen cooperation on critical technologies, the role of broader regional engagement on technologies through multilateral bodies and how to prioritise which technologies are the most critical areas for cooperation.
The insights from the Track 1.5 will inform an upcoming ASPI report to be co-authored by ASPI’s Afeeya Akhand and Atitaya (Angie) Suriyasenee and will be launched by ASPI’s Executive Director, Mr Justin Bassi, in Canberra in November 2024. The Track 1.5 and report has been generously funded by the Korea Foundation.