New framework guides governments on risks

Heatwaves pose the greatest threat to Sydney, followed by storms and bushfires, according to an international benchmark of cities’ capacity to handle shocks and stresses.

More disasters looming – governments ‘play a major role’

The total costs of natural disasters in Australia are forecast to more than double in real terms to $39 billion per year by 2050, according to the latest annual report by the Australian Business Roundtable for Disaster Resilience and Safer Communities. The report, ‘Building Resilience to Natural Disasters in our States and Territories’, was prepared […]

CSIRO says tech tools can help in disasters

By Paul Hemsley The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has revealed that emerging technologies such as computer modeling and social media can help governments and emergency services more effectively manage natural disasters like bushfires and floods. In the wake of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Sandy in the United States in October as […]

ALGA wants Federal Budget to focus on infrastructure

The rebuilding of infrastructure in flood-ravaged areas shouldn't overshadow the need for ongoing funding in the Federal Budget, the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) has said. ALGA president Genia McCaffery said local government was at the forefront of the recovery. “The flooding will cost Queensland councils up to $2 billion alone,” she said. “I welcome […]

Planning today for tomorrow’s disaster

Oil slick on Kawana Beach, Sunshine Coast, Queensland. Photo: Doug Steley, Silver Image Photographics. By Rachel Borchardt Cyclone Larry, the Victorian bushfires and the oil spill off Queensland’s Sunshine Coast are just some of the recent disasters that have required local government to swing into action. A huge amount of planning and preparation work enabled councils […]

Brumby announces Royal Commission into bushfire disaster

By Angela Dorizas The escalating death toll from the Victorian bushfires, currently standing at 173, has prompted Premier John Brumby to announce a Royal Commission into Australia’s deadliest natural disaster. Mr Brumby said panic and the ferocity of the fires were largely to blame for the high death toll. “We prepared, I guess, for a […]

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