The Hon Michael Keenan MP, Minister for Justice and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Counter Terrorism, announced the completion of the East Asia Summit (EAS) Rapid Disaster Response Toolkit, a comprehensive guide for regional decision makers for both sending and receiving international disaster assistance.

The Toolkit heralds a new era in rapid disaster response, providing valuable tools that decision makers in EAS countries can employ with ease, both when providing and receiving international assistance in times of disasters.

The application of this important resource will enable countries to respond quickly and effectively to assist countries affected by major natural disasters, an issue with which our region is all too familiar.

The Toolkit includes three tools:

• a user-friendly and accessible listing of the designated national focal points of each EAS participating country responsible for managing offers and requests for international disaster assistance;
• guidance and advice for EAS decision makers to consider when readying for and responding to disasters within the region. This resource draws on existing regional arrangements such as the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response; and
• the response arrangements and capabilities of every EAS participating country. This includes key administrative requirements, such as customs and immigration, which are fundamental for ensuring rapid response to disasters.

The Toolkit was developed over three years by Indonesia and Australia, in collaboration with EAS participating countries including New Zealand, to strengthen rapid disaster response capabilities across the region.

Standing here in Christchurch today, we are reminded of the ongoing need to strengthen our collective capacity to cooperate in times of disaster. Four years on, it is great to see the impressive progress that has been made in recovering from the devastating earthquakes.

Australia’s expertise in emergency response is widely respected but we can always learn from the experiences of our regional partners.

The Australian Government recognises the importance of building strong relationships to improve disaster response. The EAS Rapid Disaster Response Toolkit is a great example of Australia’s active participation in international efforts to reduce disaster risk and build resilience within our region.

Commonwealth Minister for Justice Michael Keenan and South Australian Minister for Emergency Services Tony Piccolo today announced more than $5.5 million of projects to assist communities across South Australia build resilience to natural disasters.

Mr Keenan said while the nature and size of the country’s landscape meant that natural hazards were a fact of life in Australia, communities are stepping up efforts to manage natural disaster risks.

“Natural disasters have an enormous impact on our economy and cripple businesses and communities. These projects led by state agencies, local councils, non-government organisations and volunteer organisations are all designed to help communities better prepare and respond to natural disasters,” Mr Keenan said.

Funding will go to 33 projects. A complete list of projects can be found at http://www.safecom.sa.gov.au 

Seismic Reporting – CGI Newsletter – Spring 2015 looks at issues related to the destructive power of earthquakes, including preparedness and mitigation, managing seismic risk and retrofitting of historic structures, and a discussion of preservation engineering.

Today the Australian Government is tabling the Productivity Commission’s final report into natural disaster funding arrangements.  We commissioned this inquiry shortly after coming to Government as we recognise that the current system is flawed.

This follows yesterday’s tabling of an Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) report into national recovery funding arrangements.

Both reports are critical of the current funding system:

• The Commission argues that governments nationally focus too much on recovery, at the expense of directing resources towards better-preparing for future disasters.
• The ANAO criticises the lack of oversight and accountability for recovery funding under successive Commonwealth governments, and highlights systemic issues with state and local government claims for ineligible expenditure.

While the Australian Government will always have a role in supporting states affected by natural disasters – and we will always stand ready to assist communities in need – the findings of these two independent bodies make it clear that change is needed.

Today I have written to my state counterparts foreshadowing consultations on the best way to address the findings of these reports.

I have made it clear that the Australian Government is not proposing any radical reductions in the funding support it provides to the states. Instead we will seek to pursue a more modest and gradual approach to getting the balance of mitigation and recovery funding right, in close consultation with state governments.

Mitigation funding will ensure the most disaster-prone states are able to address their greatest risks.  We want to work with the states to understand the scope of mitigation projects they wish to pursue, and find a way to support these projects without making dramatic cuts to recovery funding.

We also see merit in an upfront disaster funding system where the Australian Government provides grants to states based on an early assessment of disaster damage and impact, rather than the current system of reimbursing costs based on detailed rules.

Such a system would remove red-tape for all levels of government, and ensure states have more autonomy to recover from disasters in a way that best meets the needs of affected communities.

Importantly, the Productivity Commission report also raises a number of issues – including the need for better land use planning, and improved risk data and information sharing – which should be carefully considered by state and local governments.

The Government will provide a full response to the Productivity Commission’s final report following these consultations.

Media contact:  Rachelle Miller – 0475 804 886

This Year, Make a Lasting Impact with your MayDay Activities!

Help Blue Shield Australia with its Lost and Damaged Cultural Heritage Register initiative to gather data that can be used to reinforce advocacy and lobbying for greater support in disaster preparedness and risk mitigation. After a disaster (from natural and man-made disasters, conflict, accidents, to vandalism and theft) frequently there are few records, qualitative or quantitative, of what impacts disasters have had on our cultural heritage.

To address this gap in records Blue Shield Australia ask that your organisation respond to our short survey regarding the impact of disasters on collections. Please, pass the survey link on to your networks to help us build the case for greater support in this area. https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6HZHZT5

The Nepal Cultural Emergency Crowdmap Initiative is the result of a combined effort by ICCROM, ICOMOS-ICORP. The initiative successful in gathering valuable information thanks to the contributions of several institutions namely, the Smithsonian Institution, USA, the Disaster Relief Task Force of the International Council of Museums (ICOM-DRTF) and UNESCO office in Kathmandu, Nepal.

The Overview Report is available at http://australia.icomos.org/wp-content/uploads/Nepal-Cultural-Emergency-Crowdmap-Initiative-Overview-Report.pdf

A series of devastating earthquakes have struck Nepal over the weekend, causing loss of more than 2000 lives. The initial 7.8 magnitude quake, along with aftershocks as high as 6.7 magnitude, caused destruction and severe damage to the historic centre of Kathmandu and other heritage sites throughout the Kathmandu Valley. Quake-related damage has been reported throughout the region.

ICCROM project specialist Aparna Tandon, Rohit Jigyasu of the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Risk Preparedness – ICORP, and other partners have started the Kathmandu Cultural Emergency Crowdmap, which aims to collect information on the damage caused to cultural heritage sites and institutions in Nepal.

See http://icorp.icomos.org/index.php/news/60-nepal-earthquake for more information.

8 September 2014

by Abdulameer al Hamdani, Archaeologist, Iraq Heritage Senior Fellow – Iraq Heritage Report

March 2014

Blue Shield is the protective emblem of the 1954 Hague Convention, the basic international treaty formulating rules to protect cultural heritage during armed conflict. The Blue Shield network consists of organizations dealing with museums, archives, libraries, monuments and sites.

The Blue Shield’s mission is to work to protect the world’s cultural heritage threatened by armed conflict, natural and human-made disasters. For this reason, it places the expertise and network of its member organisations at the disposal of colleagues working in Iraq to support their actions in protecting the country’s heritage, and if necessary, in assessing subsequent recovery, restoration, and repair measures.

Website:
www.blueshield-international.org
Contact: Peter Stone, email: peter.stone@ncl.ac.uk, phone: +44 191 208 7095