|
 Home
> About Us
Introduction
Due to the
high incidence of natural disasters experienced in Queensland,
it is imperative that we have a well developed and effective system
that ensures coordinated capabilities at all levels of government.
The Queensland Disaster Management System is a multi-tiered system
of committees and coordination centres at State, Disaster District
and at Local level that, in partnership, ensure a coordinated
and effective capability to help prevent, prepare for, respond
to and recover from disasters in Queensland. The Queensland Disaster
Management System is described in detail in the State Counter
Disaster Plan
History
Prior to the
1970s, no formal disaster management structures or arrangements
existed within Queensland. Instead the focus was on Civil Defence
which was able to provide some level of coordinated response to
disasters and civil emergencies.
In the 1970s
a series of natural disasters including the 1974 Brisbane Floods
and the destruction of Darwin by Cyclone Tracy highlighted the
need for the development of a disaster management system in Queensland
that would ensure effective whole-of-government and cross-government
coordination and response during disasters. States and Territories
throughout Australia commenced developing legislation and disaster/emergency
management structures that shifted emphasis away from Civil Defence
and focused on managing the community consequence associated with
disasters.
In 1975, Queensland
developed the State Counter Disaster Organisation Act. This legislation
underpins the Queensland Disaster Management System and addresses
three principal issues:
|
• |
It established
the State Counter Disaster Organisation as the umbrella body
under which the Queensland Disaster Management System operates
and which ensures effective coordination and collaboration
in the event of disasters. |
|
• |
It established
the State Emergency Service (SES) as the primary community-based
volunteer organisation to provide a dedicated response capability
in support of statutory emergency services. |
|
• |
Provides
for 'special' legal powers that can be used to enhance the
preservation of human life such as ordering an evacuation
from an unsafe area or the 'commandeering' of assets (earthmoving
equipment etc) to be used to save life. |
During 2002-03 the Department of Emergency Services undertook a comprehensive review of the State Counter Disaster Organisation Act 1975 in consultation with a wide range of stakeholders. The review resulted in the development of the Disaster Management Act 2003 (DM Act).
The DM Act repealed and replaced the State Counter-Disaster Organisation Act when it commenced by proclamation on 31 March 2004.
The Disaster Management Act maintains many elements of the existing system established under the State Counter Disaster Organisation Act, while adding contemporary elements such as a focus on comprehensive disaster management, which includes disaster mitigation, prevention, preparedness, response and recovery
From these
initial beginnings, the Queensland Disaster Management System
has evolved into a highly coordinated and effective system that
is capable of ensuring effective management of the disasters that
impact our State on a regular basis.
The Queensland Disaster
Management System
The Queensland
Disaster Management System operates on three distinct levels.
These are:
|
• |
Local
Government |
|
• |
Disaster
District |
|
• |
State
Government |
A fourth level,
The Commonwealth, is also included in our Disaster Management
System recognising that Queensland may need to seek Commonwealth
support in times of disaster.
Each of these
levels within the State Disaster Management System has as its
basis a committee structure supported by a disaster coordination
centre. These committees and coordination centres are activated
when required to manage and coordinate support for disaster stricken
communities. When not activated, these committees meet to prepare
for and practice their role within the Disaster Management System.
Figure 1 depicts
the Queensland Disaster Management System including the link to
the Commonwealth for National-level support when required.
Figure
1 -
The Queensland Disaster Management System
Description of the
System
The Queensland
Disaster Management System has three principal tiers that quickly
provide both technical and tangible assistance to disaster stricken
communities.
Management
of a disaster at the community level is conducted by Local Government
who are responsible for the implementation of their Local Disaster Management Plan. If Local Governments require additional
resources to manage the event, they are able to request support
from their Disaster District Coordinator. This allows for the
rapid mobilisation of resources at a regional or district level.
If Disaster Districts resources are inadequate or inappropriate,
requests for assistance can be passed to State via the State Disaster
Coordination Centre. Finally, when State resources are inadequate
or inappropriate, support from the Commonwealth can be obtained
via Emergency
Management Australia (EMA).
A brief summary
of each of the key components of the Queensland Disaster Management
System is set out below:
|
• |
Local Disaster Management Group.
(formerly called Local Government Counter Disaster Committee). Local Disaster Management Groups (local groups) manage
the response to a disaster at a local level. The Committees
are usually chaired by the Mayor and the Local Government
Chief Executive Officer is usually the Executive Officer
of the committee. Local Government Counter Disaster Committees
develop and maintain Local Disaster Management Plans for their Shire.
These Local Government Committees are best placed to decide
what resources are needed, when they are needed and how
best to apply such resources so as to minimise hardship
and suffering. They play a key role in the Queensland Disaster
Management System.
|
|
• |
District Disaster
Management Group (formerly called Disaster District Control Group). There are 23 Disaster Districts in Queensland which are
based on the Police Districts. The senior Police Officer
in each district is designated as the Disaster District
Coordinator who Chairs a Disaster District Disaster Management Group (DDMG).These
DDMGs comprise representatives
from regionally-based Queensland Government departments
who are able to provide and coordinate whole-of-government
support to disaster stricken communities. The Disaster Districts
perform a 'middle'management function within the Disaster
Management System by providing coordinated State Government
support when requested by Local Governments.
|
|
• |
The
State Disaster Coordination Group (SDCG) is the working
body of the State Disaster Management Group (State Group) at State-level. SDCG members are designated
liaison officers from each of the Departments represented
on the State Group. This Group is the primary mechanism through
which coordinated whole-of-government State-level support
is provided to disaster-stricken communities.
|
|
• |
The State Disaster Management Group.
The State Disaster Management Group (State Group) is established as the principal
organisation under the new Act for the purposes of disaster management throughout
the State. It replaces the State Counter-Disaster Organisation and its executive,
the Central Control Group. In particular, the State Group is responsible for disaster
mitigation and disaster planning and preparation at a State level and for coordinating
whole-of-government response and recovery operations prior to, during and after a
disaster impact. This includes accessing interstate and/or Commonwealth assistance
when local and State resources are exhausted or not available.
The State Group comprises Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) from all Queensland Government Departments. The CEO of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet is the Chair, while the Executive Director of Emergency Management Queensland is the Executive Officer.
|
|
• |
Major
Incidents Group (MIG).
The Queensland Government has established a MIG to provide
high level Ministerial guidance and support in the event
of a significant incident with major community consequences.
Conceptually, membership of the MIG would be determined
on an incident-by-incident basis and may include, but not
be limited to:
|
• |
Premier
(Chair) |
|
• |
Treasurer |
|
• |
Attorney-General |
|
• |
Minister
for Police |
|
• |
Minister
for Emergency Services |
|
• |
Minister
for Health |
|
Emergency Management Queensland (EMQ), a division of the Department of Emergency Services, provides the core policy and support staffing
for the State Group. This includes the provision of disaster management
training, management of the State Disaster Coordination Centre,
maintenance of the State Counter Disaster Plan as well as training
and equipment support to local volunteer SES Units.
EMQ has regional staff across the State who assist Local Governments and State
agencies in their counter disaster responsibilities.
|
