Disaster Risk Reduction Package

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Disaster Risk Reduction Package

Lowering disaster risk

In March 2020, the Australian Government and state and territory governments agreed to invest $261 million into a Disaster Risk Reduction Package. It started in 2019 and ended on June 30, 2024. NEMA was responsible for managing the Disaster Risk Reduction Package.

They have subsequently funded a new Disaster Ready Fund providing $1 billion over five years from 2023.

The package aimed to:

  • lower current disaster risks
  • reduce future risks
  • give decision-makers better risk-reduction tools and information.

National Partnership Agreement

The Australian Government set up the National Partnership Agreement on Disaster Risk Reduction.

 

State and territory plans

Under the agreement, the Australian government gave $104.4 million to states and territories to reduce risk:

Projects of national significance

The Australian Government also invested $26.1 million on national risk-reduction projects.

There were four funding rounds.

Project Purpose Partner Amount
Bushfire boundary mapping and tropical cyclone impact modelling Improves bushfire burnt area data Geoscience Australia $250,000
Bushfire Surveyor Application Suite Community apps to report bushfire damage and risks CSIRO $180,000
Federated climate information capability Centralised system to help experts access climate data

NEMA;
University of Tasmania

 

 $500,000
National Bushfire Intelligence Capability Standardised system for bushfire risk information CSIRO $1,500,000
Prototype smoke forecasting capability Prototype system to predict smoke buildup and send public messages CSIRO;
Bureau of Meteorology		 $1,800,000
Project Purpose Partner Amount
Australian Warning System community education and engagement program Education program to boost public awareness of warning messages

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services;

Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council

 $2,000,000
Bushfire Resilience Star Rating App to help make homes safer from bushfires

NEMA;

Bushfire Building Council of Australia

 $3,000,000
Bushfire Surveyor App Suite App for experts to assess bushfire damage and causes CSIRO $271,000
Community evacuation risk hotspot tool Online tool to plan better evacuations CSIRO $500,000
Cultural heritage vulnerability to bushfire Framework to protect Aboriginal heritage from bushfires NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment $170,000
Prototype smoke forecasting capability Engagement and outreach for the national prototype smoke forecasting capability. CSIRO $326,000
Project Purpose Partner Amount
Australian Smoke Dispersion System Create a national smoke forecasting system Australian Bureau of Meteorology $2,319,156
Building Resilience: National Construction Code Baseline Assessment Review the code to improve building resilience Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources;
Australian Building Codes Board		 $150,000
Climate Change Risk Analysis of Priority Infrastructure: Pilot Project Test how climate change affects important infrastructure South Australia Department for Environment and Water $426,000
Disability Inclusive Emergency Management Help people with disabilities prepare for emergencies NEMA; Centre for Disability Research and Policy, University of Sydney $1,740,000
Disaster Risk Information Portal A portal for state and local governments to manage disaster risks better Queensland Fire and Emergency Services $790,000
Emergency Risk Assessment Methodology Make a repeatable process to review emergency risks across states Emergency Management Victoria $180,000
Enhanced National Climate Scenarios Develop storylines to help communities prepare and respond to disaster risk Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment; University of Tasmania $559,760
Expanded Strategic Partnership Model for the Bushfire Centre of Excellence Improve bushfire management with more partnerships Western Australia Department of Fire and Emergency Services $260,000
Expanding the Australian Rainfall and Runoff Guidelines: Supplementary Guidance Update intense rainfall and flooding guidelines for the construction and engineering sectors Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment $455,000
Hosting of the Centre of Excellence for Prescribed Burning Relaunch the centre with new programs including bushfire training and information sharing. Western Australia Department of Fire and Emergency Services $403,940
National Fire Behaviour Analyst Pre-Course Online Training Module Create foundational training for Fire Behaviour Analysts Victoria Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning $120,000
National Leadership Educational eLearning Modules for Disaster Risk Reduction Develop foundational training for disaster risk reduction leaders Emergency Management Victoria $660,000
Partnering with local communities in regional Australia to increase resilience to flood risk Develop a framework to use nature to reduce flood impacts on communities

NEMA;

Australian National University

 $1,507,039
Resilience Valuation Initiative to support investment decisions in resilience or disaster risk reduction Create tools to encourage resilience understanding and investment NEMA; Climate-KIC Australia $200,000
Updating CoastAdapt – Australia's Coastal Adaptation Knowledge Platform Update the platform with latest tools and information for coastal decision-making Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment; National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility, Griffith University $667,400
Project Purpose Partner Amount
Coordination of drone research and operational capability Improve use of drones to reduce bushfire risk Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts $210,000
Telecommunications resilience investment pilot Show how the telecommunications sector can collaborate to reduce disaster risk CSIRO $2,469,000
Enhancing Bureau of Meteorology warnings Develop consistent weather warnings in line with the Australian Warning System Bureau of Meteorology $1,274,100
Improve accessibility of disaster risk and preparedness information for households and communities Make disaster info easier to understand for people with diverse backgrounds Queensland Reconstruction Authority $1,500,000
Australian flood intelligence capability development Create nationwide flood intelligence predictive requirements and services Tasmania Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management $242,000

Hear from Disaster Risk Reduction Package recipients

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