Why community-led disaster recovery remains the missing piece of the puzzle for disaster management in Australia, and what we can do about it.
On the back of devastating fires through Black Friday and the rising impact of climate change, the Australian Government commissioned independent reviews of disaster funding and community preparedness.
In 2023 the Glasser Review of national natural disaster governance arrangements, reached the overarching conclusion that our governance arrangements do not adequately take our national resilience into account, including under investment in risk reduction, siloes approaches and lack of consideration to the sweeping changes and innovations required to address the emerging risks.
Following on in 2024, the Colvin Review of Commonwealth disaster funding recommended a system-wide uplift to better represent disproportionately affected communities and empower local communities and governments who increasingly carry the load of disaster impact and recovery.
The value and need for community-centred resilience initiatives has long been known. Not only does it empower affected communities to take ownership of the priorities and solutions, but it leverages local knowledge and essential networks for innovative and resourceful place-based programs and tailored planning.
Since 2020, ABV’s work with disaster-affected communities across the East Coast, has time and time again witnessed the ability of grassroots projects to solve complex resilience issues with untapped community support that would otherwise go unseen. Yet, despite this potential, the role of communities in disaster preparedness and protection too often goes under resourced and untapped.
Each administration grapples with the challenge of funding hyperlocal activity and administering this work in a scalable and cost-effective manner. Following some five years of research and testing what community-led models work in regional Australia, ABV in partnership with Monash University’s Fire to Flourish have found that with the right ingredients, a community-centric approach can not just be efficiently conducted but embedded in Australia’s ecosystem of disaster management.
Rather than relying on a competitive community grants process for existing community groups, we are proactively bringing local representatives and community groups together well in advance of when disaster hits.
Here with the right resourcing, networks and expert facilitation we can effectively identify shared local priorities, and effectively partner and draw on existing networks across organisations and borders for high-impact system-wide change.
As a research backed model, we know that this is both cost-effective and scalable simply adding value to the incredible disaster management structures in place. For every $1 invested in prevention saves $6–$15 in response and recovery costs.
Communities are capable and eager to collaborate with agencies and NGOs to take on their share of disaster prevention and preparedness work. And with the right model and conditions this can not just be transformative but efficient in bringing far ranging support.
Find out more about ABV’s disaster and economic resilience programs in regional Australia and how you can be part of this transformative work.
