ATTORNEY-GENERAL ROBERT MCCLELLAND
JOINT 49TH ANNUAL FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT AUTORITIES CONFERENCE (NSW) AND 6TH BIENNIAL VICTORIAN FLOOD CONFERENCE
Albury Convention & Performing Arts Centre
Swift Street, Albury, NSW
Wednesday 18 February 2009, 1.40pm
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Acknowledgements
Other Acknowledgements
Introduction
- Thank you for inviting me to your conference.
- I address you as the nation starts to come to terms with its worst natural disaster.
- The devastating bushfires in Victoria are shocking in their scale.
- The number of people who have died continues to rise. This tragically includes an ACT fireman who was killed yesterday. He was part of the contingent of hundreds of inter-state emergency services personnel who came to Victoria to help.
- More than eighteen hundred homes have been destroyed.
- Hundreds of thousands of hectares have been scorched.
- As of this morning, seventeen fires are still burning across the state.
- I want to again place on the record my heartfelt praise for emergency services personnel – both professional and volunteer – who are giving their all for their fellow Australians.
- I understand there are some in attendance that have been protecting the communities in and around Beechworth and Yackandandah – thank you for your selfless efforts.
- The Government is doing all it can to support those affected by the fires.
- Centrelink is coordinating emergency payments.
- The Australian Defence Force is providing help in many communities – from forging containment lines to setting up tents for emergency accommodation.
- A team of ninety Federal Police are helping to identify victims. They are also supporting Victorian Police in finding out how the bushfires started.
- The Prime Minister has said the Government will do whatever it takes to rebuild the towns destroyed by the fires.
And we will – brick by brick, house by house, school by school.
- During this awful time, it’s great to see that most Australian of qualities – helping out your mates in their time of need – coming to the fore.
- People from across Australia are doing what they can to help.
- Donations to the Red Cross Bushfire Appeal have topped $100 million.
- Clothes, food, and toys are being taken to the affected areas by the truckload.
- Farmers are offering fodder for livestock. People are literally offering themselves to help in whatever way they can.
Queensland Floods
- At the other end of the country, 62 percent of Queensland is underwater.
- While the residents of north Queensland are used to floods in the wet season, this year is particularly bad.
- Towns have been shut-off for weeks on end.
- The Defence Force has been providing ration packs and food drops to isolated communities, such as Ingham.
- The Commonwealth is funding emergency payments to residents through the Natural Disaster Recovery and Relief Arrangements.
- The Commonwealth is doing the same for the people and businesses affected by the floods that have hit western New South Wales in recent days.
- To give you an indication of the magnitude of what has happened, approximately 200 mm of rain fell in and around the township of Bourke in a 15 hour period on Friday 13 February. This is two-thirds of Bourke’s annual rainfall.
Disaster Risk Mitigation
- Australia is a beautiful country, but as we are experiencing, it can also be a brutal one. If we are to avoid or lessen disasters that happen in the future – mitigation must be the key.
- Australian Governments have a long history of supporting mitigation activities that can reduce the effects of disasters on a community.
Mitigation is a priority for the Rudd Government. - Take for example the Natural Disaster Mitigation Program, which the Rudd Government extended in last year’s budget.
The Charleville and Augathella Levees in Queensland and the Gawler Flood Mitigation Scheme in South Australia stand any test as enormously successful mitigation projects. - I regularly receive correspondence from local government, Members of Parliament and various agencies outlining how their local communities have benefited from mitigation projects.
- In addition to those telling statements from people on the ground, the Council of Australian Governments received a research report that analysed 67 mitigation projects.
It showed that every dollar invested in those projects saved more than two dollars. - Through the NDMP, the Rudd Government is providing $19.2 million this financial year to help states, territories, local councils and other agencies to prepare for disasters.
- The States and Territories recognise the advantages of disaster mitigation.
I’m happy to tell you that once again all of them have lodged submissions for NDMP funding this financial year - And I can inform you that the lists of projects submitted by NSW and VIC have been approved.
Disaster Resilience
- Ladies and gentlemen, for some time now the concept of ‘disaster resilience’ has been getting increasing attention from policy makers around the world.
A resilience approach seeks to increase the community’s ability to withstand the impacts of disasters, adapt to changes in risks and bounce back quickly when disasters occur. - This includes not only the protection of our assets, property and infrastructure, but also what we can do to increase the preparedness of our individuals and households to from physical threats and the trauma of disasters.
- My colleagues and I who form the Ministerial Council for Police and Emergency Management recently agreed on the direction forward for emergency management.
- Key action areas include:
- Further development of a National Catastrophic Disaster Plan;
- Improving volunteer attraction and retention;
- Implementing climate change adaptation strategies for the emergency management sector;
- Developing a strategy for enhancing national partnerships with the private sector and NGOs; and
- Developing strategies for community engagement, education, and for enhancing self reliance and recovery.
- We see this as disaster resilience through mitigation and preparedness.
- Resilience programs can’t stop a massive flood or prevent a bushfire.
But they can help save lives and property by creating preparedness on several levels – essentially through a broad range of engineering solutions and education. - As a useful first step we can identify the risks we can do something about and tackle these in a commonsense manner.
- Above all we need to ensure that our expectations of ourselves, the emergency services, the all-important emergency management volunteers and the government at all levels, are realistic.
- The Government’s policy approach is to take the necessary steps to improve governance arrangements, boost participation and to strengthen capacity in local communities in mitigation and disaster resilience.
Review of Mitigation Programs
- Despite the value of mitigation programs such as the NDMP, I believe that we can continue to improve the system.
- At the end of last year I authorised an investigation into the possible reform of our current approach to emergency management.
This includes looking at the delivery of Commonwealth mitigation programs. - For example, my Department is examining how our disaster mitigation programs can best tackle changes to disaster risk from an expected increase in extreme weather events from climate change.
- I commend the FMA for their tireless representations over the last 12 months in support of the NDMP and can assure you that your submissions are being considered.
- You can be confident that the Government is 100 percent committed to disaster mitigation. We are actively considering the best way to support effective disaster mitigation into the future, as part of the current budget process.
- The terrible tragedy in Victoria, and the widespread flooding in North Queensland, is an awful reminder of the threat posed by natural disasters to communities right across the country.
- The Australian Government will continue to support vital bushfire, flood, and other natural disaster mitigation efforts into the future.
Conclusion
- As these past weeks have shown so clearly, co-operation between and across all levels of government and the community is imperative if we are to plan and prepare for natural disasters – be they bushfires or floods.
The Australian community rightly expects no less. - And so I congratulate you on the cooperative approach being adopted by this joint conference.
- I look forward to receiving the conference outcomes and your suggestions for ways to enhance cooperation and resilience measures across Australia.
- I wish you well in your deliberations over the next few days, and have great pleasure now in declaring this joint conference officially open.
ENDS

