Report on Government Services 2021
PART D: RELEASED ON 22 JANUARY 2021
D Emergency management
Impact of COVID-19 on data for the Emergency management sector
COVID-19 may affect data in this Report in a number of ways. This includes in respect of actual performance (that is, the impact of COVID-19 on service delivery in 2020 which is reflected in the data results), and the collection and processing of data (that is, the ability of data providers to undertake data collection and process results for inclusion in the Report).
For the Emergency management sector and services covered in this Report, there are no significant changes to the data as a result of COVID-19.
Impact of the 2019-20 Australian bushfires for the Emergency management sector
The 2019-20 Australian bushfires had an impact on the Emergency management sector. Any impacts which are specific to the service areas in this Report are noted in section 9.
Main aims of services within the sector
Emergency management services aim to reduce the risks of and the adverse effects from emergency events on individuals, communities and the environment.1 An emergency event is one that endangers or threatens to endanger life, property and/or the environment, and requires a significant and coordinated response, for example, fires, rescues, medical emergencies and natural disasters.
Services included in the sector
- Fire services
Prepare for, prevent, respond to and assist recovery from fire and other events. - State and Territory emergency services
Largely volunteer organisations that respond to and provide assistance during and after emergency events. - Ambulance services organisations
Provide emergency patient response, care and transport. - Other services with some emergency management responsibilities but not included in reporting for this sector in this Report:
- Hospital emergency departments — services include preparing for and responding to emergency events (section 12 in this Report)
- Police services — services related to preserving public order and responding to, managing and coordinating major incidents and emergencies (section 6 in this Report)
- Marine and lifesaving rescue and coast guard organisations (not included as service-specific sections in this Report).
Detailed information on the equity, effectiveness and efficiency of service provision and the achievement of outcomes for fire services and State and Territory Emergency Services (STES), ambulance services, public hospitals (including emergency departments), ambulance services and police services is contained in the service‑specific sections in this Report.
Government expenditure in the sector
Total government expenditure in 2019-20 for fire and STES services was $6.0 billion, around 2.2 per cent of total government expenditure on services covered in this Report. Fire services (including WA STES) was the largest contributor (95.6 per cent) (STES contributed 4.4 per cent, excluding WA) (table D.1).
Ambulance services expenditure is reported in the Health sector overview
Footnotes
- Emergency Management Australia 1998, Australian Emergency Terms Thesaurus, Australian Emergency Manuals Series, Australian Government, Canberra. Locate Footnote 1 above