TITLE:
Resilience: The New Paradigm in Disaster Management—An Australian Perspective
AUTHORS:
Stephen Jenkins, Stephen Jenkins
KEYWORDS:
Disaster Prevention, Mitigation, Response, Recovery and Management, Disaster Resilience, Organisational Resilience and Capability, National Security, Climate Change
JOURNAL NAME:
World Journal of Engineering and Technology,
Vol.3 No.3C,
October
22,
2015
ABSTRACT: During past decades, frameworks relating to
emergency and disaster management have been based on a risk management approach
to prevention/mitigation and preparedness coupled with a strong emphasis on
response by police and emergency service organisations. Numerous reviews and
inquiries of significant events however have identified significant issues relating
to the preparation for such events and the management thereof; in particular,
critical shortcomings in the capability of emergency response agencies, their
leaders and senior decision-makers. In 2008, the Australian Government, through
The First National Security Statement to the Australian Parliament by Prime
Minister Rudd, has incorporated non-traditional threats and hazards, such as
those posed by the impact of climate change, on the national security agenda.
In doing so, the Government has announced a paradigm shift in policy for the
nation’s approach to emergency and disaster management, namely a move from “response”
to “resilience”. In support of this policy shift, the Australian Government,
through the Council of Australian Governments, has endorsed the National
Strategy for Disaster Resilience and the Critical Infrastructure Resilience
Strategy. These documents make resilience the responsibility of all levels of
government, private industry, emergency response agencies, and the community. A
review of the reports published following Australian reviews and inquiries into
significant events has identified that existing frameworks do not provide the
necessary mechanisms for baselining and assessing community resilience, that
is, their ability to respond to and recover from significant events.
Internationally, indices have been developed for assessing community
resilience, however, inherent limitations have also been identified in their
scope and application. This paper will review Australian and international
events which have led to inquiries that have resulted in criticisms of the
emergency and disaster response, as well as introducing the organisational
capability and resilience of organisations particularly in the context of
climate change.