Australia and the Pacific Region

Mitigation, Preparedness, and Relief Efforts

In 2009, the Australian government began the process of establishing the Natural Disaster Resilience Program (NDRP) to consolidate previously separate programs such as the Natural Disaster Mitigation Program (NDMP), Bushfire Mitigation Program (BMP), and the National Emergency Volunteer Support Fund (NEVSF). The NDRP will continue the work of identifying and prioritizing the country's natural disaster risks and funding mitigation projects. The government has announced the funding of disaster mitigation efforts, and emergency management volunteer training will reach approximately $110 million over a four-year period. A particular emphasis will be placed on each jurisdiction's individual needs, as well as the potential effects of climate change on the rate and severity of natural disasters. The jurisdictions of Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, and Victoria will administer their allotted funds.

The government also contains the Australian Emergency Management Institute (AEMI), formerly known as the Australian Civil Defense School, within the Attorney General's Department. One key area has been the provision of relevant information and training, provided through agencies such as the AEMI and the Australian Emergency Management Library. AEMI provides training courses, professional development programs, and workshops to increase the professionalism of workers in the emergency management field; as well as public awareness and community resilience programs to improve public preparedness for disasters.

New Zealand's Department of Internal Affairs contains the Ministry of Civil Defense and Emergency Management, which oversees the National Crisis Management Center. The country passed the Civil Defense Emergency Management Act in 2002 as a result of efforts to reshape and consolidate a national risk and emergency management strategy. The act also involves the private sector, in order to increase community and business preparedness; and the higher education sector, in order to increase professional development in the field. Local emergency management agencies are also required to ensure the availability of trained personnel in the advent of a disaster.

The island nations of the Pacific region include the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, the Republic of Kiribati, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Palau, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, the Kingdom of Tonga, and Vanuatu. These nations have emergency management systems and policy development of varying effectiveness, but most lack any comprehensive systematic disaster mitigation, preparedness, or relief programs. Many rely on international sources of development assistance and disaster management funding. The most aid-dependent include Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau.

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