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Report on Government Services 2025

PART D: RELEASED ON 4 FEBRUARY 2025

D Emergency management

Main aims of services within the sector

Emergency management services aim to reduce the risk of, and adverse effects from, emergency events on people, communities and the environment. An emergency event is one that endangers or threatens to endanger life, property or the environment, and requires a significant and coordinated response, for example, fires, rescues, medical emergencies and natural disasters.

Services included in the sector

There are various emergency services involved in the emergency management sector.

The Emergency management sector in this report includes detailed information in the 'Emergency services for fire and other events' section (section 9) on the equity, effectiveness and efficiency of service provision and the achievement of outcomes for:

  • 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.

Although this report largely focuses on emergency service provision by fire service organisations and state and territory emergency services, effective emergency management relies on the collaborative effort of a range of government and non-government stakeholders including:

  • local, state, and federal governments (for example, fire and rescue services, land management agencies, reconstruction agencies)
  • volunteers and volunteer organisations
  • critical infrastructure owners and operators
  • the not-for-profit sector and non-government organisations.

A more comprehensive explanation of the roles and responsibilities of government and non-government stakeholders involved in emergency management is available in the Australian Emergency Management Arrangements Handbook (Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience [AIDR] 3rd edition 2023).

Ambulance services (for medical emergencies) and police services (for public safety issues) are also involved in the emergency management sector. The health section of this report presents further information on the performance of ambulance services (section 11) and the justice section presents further information on the performance of police services (section 6).

Hospital emergency departments also provide services related to emergency events. Further information on public hospital emergency departments is available in section 12.

Marine and lifesaving rescue and coast guard organisations also have some emergency management responsibilities. However, data on these services are not included in this report.

Government expenditure in the sector

Total government expenditure for fire services and state and territory emergency services (STES) in this report was $7.1 billion in 2023-24 (table D.1), an increase of 6.1% from the previous year. Fire services (including WA STES) was the largest contributor (93.5%) (STES contributed 6.5%, excluding Western Australia). For the 2022‑23 financial year (the most recent financial year for which data is available across all sections), this represented around 1.7% of total government expenditure covered in this report.

Information on ambulance services and public hospitals expenditure is reported in the Health sector overview and information on police services expenditure is reported in the Justice sector overview.

Emergency management policy settings

Three key legal frameworks guide Australian emergency management processes (AIDR 2023):

  • National Strategy for Disaster Resilience (Council of Australian Governments [COAG] 2011)
  • Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015)
  • National Disaster Risk Reduction Framework (Commonwealth of Australia 2018).

These frameworks outline key priorities and principles for emergency management policy including:

  • the need for a greater focus on natural hazard prevention, mitigation and preparedness
  • shared responsibility for emergency management between a range of stakeholders including community, business and government
  • the importance of managing disaster risk.

Shifting focus to prevention, mitigation and preparedness

Australia's emergency management arrangements are underpinned by what is known as the 'comprehensive approach' that recognises four phases of emergency management: prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery (PPRR) (AIDR 2023). These phases are not always distinct or sequential. For instance, activities that promote recovery by “building back better” can also mitigate the impact of future hazards.

In recent decades, national emergency management frameworks and inquiries including the National Strategy for Disaster Resilience (COAG 2011), the Royal Commission into National Disaster Arrangements (Commonwealth of Australia 2020) and the Productivity Commission's Inquiry into Natural National Disaster Funding Arrangements (Productivity Commission 2015) have emphasised the need to shift focus from response and recovery efforts to prevention, mitigation and preparedness efforts.

Prevention and mitigation

Prevention measures aim to remove or reduce the impact of future hazards. Mitigation measures accept that events will occur and try to lessen the inevitable impact of natural hazards. Examples of prevention and mitigation measures include:

  • community education and awareness
  • critical infrastructure protection
  • ensuring access to publicly available geologic and topographic mapping and hazard monitoring services
  • implementing specific hazard and disaster risk research studies (AIDR 2023).
Preparedness

Preparedness refers to the ability to be ready for, or plan action in response to or in recovery from a hazard. Examples of preparedness measures include:

  • developing household emergency plans and preparing emergency kits
  • developing tailored response and recovery plans
  • public warning systems (AIDR 2023).
Case study: Flood mitigation, prevention and preparedness efforts

National disasters in Australia have significant social and financial impacts on people, businesses, communities and governments. Natural disasters cost the Australian economy on average $38 billion per year (Australian Business Round Table [ABRT] 2021). This cost is estimated to rise to at least $73 billion annually by 2060, driven by a combination of climate change, growth in population and in the real value of property (ABRT 2021).

In Australia, floods are the second most significant natural disaster to cause human fatalities, after heatwaves (Australian Climate Service 2024). Floods are predicted to be the highest contributor to the estimated economic cost of disasters in 2060 (ABRT 2021).

While flooding can be a natural process with positive benefits, floods can also have negative impacts on the social, economic, natural and built environments (Bureau of Meteorology 2024). Recovery from floods can be prolonged and costly, with social and economic costs that can deeply impact local communities (AIDR 2020).

Flood mitigation, prevention and preparedness measures
Flood studies

Flood studies are detailed technical examinations of flood behaviour that are essential for informing prevention, mitigation and preparedness efforts (AIDR 2017). Flood studies can provide information to inform the community and for emergency management planning. The Australian Flood Risk Information Portal is a central online location for flood risk information to be stored, including details of flood studies and flood maps to support people and organisations better prepare for, and mitigate against, flood risks (Geoscience Australia 2024).

Community awareness and household preparedness

Increasing community awareness of natural hazards helps to mitigate the effects of emergency events by assisting individuals and communities to prepare, respond and recover from natural hazards (AIDR 2020).

All state and territory governments undertake programs to increase community awareness of natural hazards and to support household preparedness. Examples include community awareness events, school programs providing information in community languages, providing tailored information for people living with impairment and mobile apps to provide current information about local emergencies.

Online research of 3,500 people across NSW, Qld, ACT, WA and SA by NRMA Insurance found that 61% of people surveyed did not have an emergency plan for emergencies, with younger people (18-34 years) and people living in major metropolitan areas less likely to have an emergency plan (NRMA Insurance 2023). Creating household emergency plans is frequently an intended outcome of community awareness programs.

Flood warnings

Effective flood warnings alert communities and emergency services about approaching floods and encourage those at risk to take protective action. Flood warning infrastructure such as rain and river gauges monitor water height and rainfall levels in a catchment, and this data can be used to predict the expected scale and location of a potential flood. The Australian Government established the National Flood Infrastructure Program, which delivered $100 million in funding across 2020-21 and 2021-22 to state and territory governments for the construction or improvement of flood mitigation infrastructure (NEMA 2024).


References

ABRT (Australian Business Round Table) 2021, Special report: Update to the economic costs of natural disasters in Australia, https://australianbusinessroundtable.com.au/assets/documents/Special%20report: %20Update%20to%20the%20economic%20costs%20of%20natural%20disasters%20in%20Australia/ Special%20report%20_Update%20to%20the%20economic%20costs%20of%20natural%20disasters%20in%20Australia.pdf (accessed 13 September 2024).

Australian Climate Service 2024, Floods,https://www.acs.gov.au/pages/floods (accessed 13 September 2024).

AIDR (Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience) 2023, Australian emergency management arrangements (third edition), https://knowledge.aidr.org.au/media/10162/handbook_aema_web_2023.pdf (accessed 21 October 2023).

—— 2020, Community Engagement for Disaster Resilience, https://knowledge.aidr.org.au/media/7989/aidr_handbookcollection_communityengagementfordisasterresilience_2020.pdf (accessed 13 September 2024).

—— 2017, Managing the floodplain: a guide to best practice in flood risk management in Australia (Handbook 7), https://knowledge.aidr.org.au/media/3521/adr-handbook-7.pdf (accessed 21 October 2023).

Bureau of Meteorology 2024, Understanding Floods, http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/flood/knowledge-centre/understanding.shtml (accessed 13 September 2024).

Commonwealth of Australia 2020, Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements, https://www.royalcommission.gov.au/natural-disasters (accessed 21 October 2023).

—— 2018, National Disaster Risk Reduction Framework, https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/emergency/files/national-disaster-risk-reduction-framework.pdf (accessed 21 October 2023).

COAG (Council of Australian Governments) 2011, National strategy for disaster resilience, https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/
emergency/files/national-strategy-disaster-resilience.pdf
(accessed 21 October 2023).

Geoscience Australia 2024, Australian Flood Risk Information Portal, https://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/community-safety/projects/afrip (accessed 13 September 2024).

NEMA (National Emergency Management Agency) 2024, National Flood Mitigation Infrastructure Program, https://www.nema.gov.au/our-work/resilience/national-flood-mitigation-infrastructure-program (accessed 13 September 2024).

NRMA Insurance 2023, NRMA Insurance Wild Weather Tracker Autumn 2023, https://www.iag.com.au/sites/default/files/NRMA%20Insurance%20Wild%20Weather%20Tracker%20Autumn%202023_0.pdf (accessed 13 September 2024).

Productivity Commission 2015, Natural disaster funding arrangements, Inquiry report no. 74.

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015‑2030 (first edition), https://www.undrr.org/publication/sendai-framework-disaster-risk-reduction-2015-2030 (accessed 21 October 2023).

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