Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I'm currently hosting an ADF member from the Royal Australian Air Force in Williamtown, New South Wales. Leading Aircraftwoman Milliscent Cox, or Milli, as we affectionately know her, is with the parliamentary exchange program in 2023 and a proud Wanarruwa woman. I've asked her to write this speech for me about the role of the armed forces in disaster management.

Disaster management involves mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. The armed forces are to be requisitioned when absolutely necessary. Although it is not the primary role of the ADF to respond to natural disasters, the ADF provides assistance to benefit the nation through its capabilities and resources during and after natural disasters. The mitigation phase begins with conducting a hazard identification and vulnerability analysis. This is a two-step process. The hazard which has the potential to affect the population is identified, and the other step is looking at how people, property and structures will be affected by the disastrous event.

Preparedness is a state of being ready to react promptly and effectively in the event of an emergency. This depends on the analysis of the hazard's severity and vulnerability. Preparedness means that a plan of action exists for an emergency. Having a preparedness plan is a must. A preparedness plan involves identification of possible emergency situations which may occur and then developing a strategy for activities likely to be undertaken and resources used. This plan includes things like identifying the government bodies responsible for responding in an emergency; establishing an emergency operation centre, an EOC, or control room to carry out emergency operations; and also identifying and deploying an officer-in-charge in case of the emergency.

The response is designed to provide emergency assistance to victims of the event and reduce the likelihood of secondary damage. Response activities occur during and immediately following a disaster. The five basic stages of response to an emergency or disaster are (1) notification and warning, (2) immediate public safety, (3) property security, (4) public welfare and (5) restoration. Recovery continues until all systems return to normal or near normal. This is the final phase of the emergency management cycle. Short-term recovery is the restoration of vital services and facilities to a minimum standard of operation and safety. Long-term recovery may include the complete development of damaged areas.

Armed forces in disaster management have an indirect role, with the first response being due to the force being readily available and easiest for the government to deploy immediately and to disaster agencies still being under development. As an insight, some of the requirements when facing a natural disaster include jointness between services and various agencies; and disaster relief bricks, where ADF members are put on capability brick lists in case of a natural disaster occurring and swap out via rotation. Personnel are usually put onto 48 hours notice to move and have had to complete multiple forms and requirements for deployment to a natural disaster or for humanitarian aid.

When asked to write this speech about the way in which the ADF responds to natural disasters and if the ADF takes into account how to approach traditional owners before taking over to manage a situation, Milliscent did not have the answers, as she is not an expert in that situation. However, upon further research, there was an example in a document from the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements, relating to mitigation of fire management. The ADF response in relation to Indigenous land states, 'Management is carried out in line with Healthy Country Plans, using a combination of science and traditional knowledge, with the objectives of looking after Country and culture, limiting late-season wildfires, driving biodiversity conservation, protecting cultural sites and facilitating intergenerational transmission of traditional knowledge.'

Indigenous rangers worked with government agencies and scientists to introduce cultural burning to a large part of Arnhem Land, resulting in a reduction in the frequency and magnitude of large bushfires. Although reducing bushfire risk is not necessarily the primary purpose of Indigenous land management, reduced fuel loads and improved ecosystem resilience have been important benefits of its application. I hope that the above information has given some insight into the ADF response to natural disasters, and I want to thank Milli for her work.