Media Releases 2007
July 25, 2007
RESCUE HELICOPTER RETRIEVAL IN QUEENSLAND
The Australian Government has agreed to help the Queensland Government recover a rescue helicopter which made a forced landing in far north Queensland early Monday morning.
Attorney-General Philip Ruddock said the Cairns-based rescue helicopter operated by Emergency Management Queensland (EMQ) landed safely in a remote area west of Cooktown with no injuries reported on board.
"I have approved Emergency Management Australia (EMA) in my Department to assist Queensland in the coordination of the recovery effort for the helicopter," Mr Ruddock said.
"The area is quite remote and the helicopter cannot be flown out."
"The Australian Government has agreed to task the Australian Defence Force to assist the Queensland Government to recover the unserviceable helicopter."
"A Defence heavy-lift helicopter will be used to transport the machine to Cairns airport later this week," Mr Ruddock said.
Issued by the Attorney-General 25.07.07
July 24, 2007
REMOTE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES TO BENEFIT FROM EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN
A new strategy to prioritise support to remote Indigenous Communities in times of natural disaster has been unveiled today by Attorney-General Philip Ruddock at the coastal Indigenous community of Bidyadanga in Western Australia.
Called 'Keeping Our Mob Safe', the strategy is expected to guide governments in the development of emergency management planning and emergency services support.
"The strategy provides priorities aimed at improving disaster resilience in remote Indigenous communities across the country for such natural emergencies as cyclones, bushfires, floods, earthquakes and tsunamis," Mr Ruddock said.
Research for the strategy was funded by Emergency Management Australia (EMA) through the Working Together to Manage Emergencies initiative, and was endorsed by Emergency Services Ministers in all states and territories.
"This truly whole-of-government project had representation from five states and several Australian Government departments, and was conducted by a private researcher who talked with Indigenous leaders affected by a wide range of natural emergencies.
"The key to ensuring that remote Indigenous communities are well prepared for disasters is to support community emergency management planning, ensure involvement of community leaders in decision making, provide education about natural disasters, and empower Indigenous people through emergency management training," Mr Ruddock said.
The release of the report was hosted jointly by the Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australian (FESA) and the Bidyadanga La Grange Community.
The 'Keeping Our Mob Safe' strategy report is available on http://www.ema.gov.au and from State emergency management agencies.
Issued by the Attorney-General 24.07.07
July 18, 2007
$13.8 MILLION FOR COMMUNITIES AND EMERGENCY VOLUNTEERS
Local communities and emergency services volunteers across Australia will share a $13.8 million funding boost in the latest round of the Australian Government's Working Together to Manage Emergencies initiative.
Attorney-General Philip Ruddock today announced 423 projects that will receive grants designed to develop self-reliance at both the community and local government levels.
"Some 500,000 Australians are volunteers in an emergency management capacity, with 350,000 directly involved in emergency first response, principally through the various rural fire services and State Emergency Service agencies," Mr Ruddock said.
"We have seen many recent examples of emergency service volunteers and local council emergency teams responding to extreme bushfires and, by contrast, major storms and flooding."
Funding was allocated through the Local Grants Scheme and the National Emergency Volunteer Support Fund administered by Emergency Management Australia and fulfilling a Coalition election commitment made in 2004.
More than 1250 projects have now been funded through the Working Together to Manage Emergencies initiative and include:
- $16 million over four years to the National Emergency Volunteer Support Fund to boost the recruitment, retention, skills and training of volunteer organisations
- $30 million over four years to the Local Grants Scheme to assist local councils to develop and implement emergency risk management initiatives, identify vulnerabilities, enhance protective measures for critical infrastructure and provide emergency management and security awareness training for staff.
"The successful projects represent a balance across rural and remote communities, Indigenous communities, as well as regional and capital cities, taking account of the risks and vulnerabilities facing people living in those communities," Mr Ruddock said.
Details of the types of projects funded through both programs can be found on the EMA website http://www.ema.gov.au/communitydevelopment
Issued by the Attorney-General 18.07.07
June 30, 2007
SANDBAGS SENT TO HELP FLOODED VICTORIANS
The Australian Government is sending 30,000 sandbags to help the Victoria State Emergency Service protect homes in the path of the severe flooding that is occurring in the south Gippsland region of the state.
The Attorney-General Philip Ruddock has approved Emergency Management Australia (EMA) - a Division of his Department - to coordinate the delivery of the sandbags.
The National Emergency Management Coordination Centre in Canberra has activated the Australian Government's Disaster Response Plan as a result of a request for assistance from the Victorian Government.
This is the second request for assistance - yesterday a request for satellite imagery of the area was made, to help the emergency services plan their response and recovery efforts.
"The sandbags will be transported tomorrow (Sunday) from EMA's disaster stores facility in Sydney to the Victoria SES," Mr Ruddock said. "They're expected to be used to assist residents across coastal Victoria - especially near the lakes district where rising flood water is already threatening many homes."
"The Australian Government stands ready to assist Victoria at this difficult time."
Issued by the Attorney-General 30.06.07
June 29, 2007
SATELLITE TO ASSIST VICTORIA MAP FLOODING
The Australian Government is helping the Victorian emergency services to identify where the south Gippsland flooding is spreading towards south coast communities.
The Attorney-General Philip Ruddock has approved Emergency Management Australia (EMA) – a Division of his Department – to coordinate the acquisition of high resolution satellite imagery from Geoscience Australia.
The National Emergency Management Coordination Centre in Canberra has activated the Australian Government’s Disaster Response Plan as a result of a request for assistance from the Victorian Government.
“The satellite imagery will cover an area of the southern Victorian coastal region between Moe and Orbost. It will greatly assist emergency response agencies as they plan to deal with severe flooding occurring as a result of recent heavy rainfall,” Mr Ruddock said.
“The satellite imaging, which will continue as opportunities arise over the next few days, will also assist planning of recovery activity.”
Issued by the Attorney-General 29.06.07
May 23, 2007
RESEARCH GRANT AIDS PROTECTION AGAINST BIO-TERRORISM
A gel to contain and neutralise biological hazards will be further developed through an Australian Government research grant, Attorney-General Philip Ruddock announced today.
The $480,000 grant to Melbourne-based laboratories Anadis Limited is funded jointly by Emergency Management Australia, part of the Attorney-General's portfolio, and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet's Research Support for Counter-Terrorism Program.
"This funding will allow extended research that will enhance Australia's counter terrorism capability," Mr Ruddock said.
"The product being developed in Melbourne will help detect and contain biohazards and decontaminate equipment, facilities and the environment.
"It will greatly increase the capacity of emergency services personnel to respond to biological terrorism."
The gel incorporates antibodies to the biological hazard. Emergency workers apply the gel onto an affected area and it stops the biohazard spreading. The antibodies in the gel assist in decontaminating the area.
Anadis says the technology can be extended to be used in other chemical, biological and radiological hazards.
Once developed and tested, the gel is expected to be made available to hazardous materials (HAZMAT) specialist officers in the State and Territory fire agencies who are trained to deal with incidents involving chemical or biological agents.
Issued by the Attorney-General 23.05.07
May 22, 2007
LESSONS OF LONDON BOMBINGS WILL HELP AUSTRALIA
Governments at all levels will benefit from a report, released today by Attorney-General Philip Ruddock, on the lessons learned from the London bombings of July 2005.
The analysis has been compiled from a workshop held by St John Ambulance Australia and Emergency Management Australia (a Division of the Attorney-General's Department).
The Canberra workshop - attended by more than 140 representatives of defence, police and emergency services from around Australia - featured five senior officers from London's ambulance, police, fire, and planning authorities.
"The workshop identified a number of issues that Australian and State and Territory Governments must consider," Mr Ruddock said after launching the report with the Vice Chancellor of St John Ambulance Australia Dr Neil Conn.
"Areas such as city planning, communications and helping officers from different jurisdictions develop relationships need to be considered as part of emergency planning. Plans also need to be regularly tested. The report recommends that whole-of-city exercises involving volunteer organisations like the St John Ambulance should be considered.
"We have referred the report to the Australian Emergency Management Committee, which includes representatives from all States and Territories. The Committee will consider the report and make recommendations on future steps.
"The first responsibility of the Australian Government is to protect Australia, its people and interests. An evolving and flexible counter-terrorism strategy is necessary to respond to threats from terrorist networks.
"Since September 11, we have spent more than $10.4 billion to improve our counter-terrorism capability. We have had some notable successes in preventing incidents occurring in Australia, with a number of arrests made in recent times. However we are quite prepared to learn from the experience of others," Mr Ruddock said.
Download the report. (PDF 2802 KB)
Issued by the Attorney-General 22.05.07
January 15, 2007
RAAF BASE TO DELIVER RELIEF FIRE-FIGHTERS
The RAAF base at East Sale will be used this weekend to deliver relief fire-fighters into the bushfire-ravaged south east of Victoria after the Australian Attorney-General, Philip Ruddock, approved another request for Commonwealth assistance.
The base has the only long runway in the south-east of the state that can handle the chartered commercial aircraft that will bring in New South Wales fire-fighters to relieve their colleagues in the southern great divide region.
"The runway at the Sale airport is too short for chartered planes,'' Mr Ruddock said. "The request I have approved is for access to the RAAF base at East Sale and fuel support to ensure fire-fighter crew changeovers are completed.
"There will be three flights this weekend, with more than 30 fire-fighters on each aircraft. They will come from Sydney, Nowra and Canberra.''
Mr Ruddock said there was likely to be more flights through the RAAF base next week.
Emergency Management Australia, which is part of the Attorney-General's Department, has activated the Commonwealth Disaster Plan. This provides a framework for the provision of Australian Government assistance to State and Territory governments when their resources are limited. EMA is also monitoring the situation through the National Emergency Management Coordination Centre in Canberra.
"The Government is ready to help any of the States that need extra resources or support to fight bushfires," Mr Ruddock said.
Issued by the Attorney-General 15.07.07
January 10, 2007
COMMUNITIES BENEFIT FROM EMERGENCY VOLUNTEERS
The contribution of each volunteer in the response to emergencies is worth an estimated $950 a year, Attorney-General Philip Ruddock revealed today as he released the results of a national survey.
Mr Ruddock said the report by Anglicare on behalf of the Australian Emergency Management Volunteer Forum showed these local heroes were an integral part of any response to a crisis or disaster.
"This survey formally recognises the estimated direct financial cost and in-kind contributions of volunteers who give their time so willingly," said Mr Ruddock.
"These people are the backbone of our emergency management structures and they do so at a significant cost."
The report estimates the average of direct and in-kind contributions made by each volunteer at $950 a year.
"There are more than 500,000 emergency management volunteers," said Mr Ruddock.
"We see them in action in floods, severe storms, bushfires and other natural disasters, providing assistance at accidents and other life threatening situations - such as surf life saving - and giving personal support to victims and their families."
The Attorney-General Philip Ruddock, who is the Minister responsible for national emergency management, said the dedication of volunteers had been on show during the current bushfire season.
The survey covered fully employed, self-employed and retired volunteers in the primary emergency services as well as in the Salvation Army, Surf Life Saving Australia, St Vincent de Paul, St John Ambulance, Volunteer Rescue Association, Australian Volunteer Coastguard, Australian Council of State Emergency Services, Anglicare, Adventist Development and Relief Agency Australia.
Issued by the Attorney-General 10.07.07
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