AIDR’s history and legacy: Mount Macedon institute’s 70-year anniversary  

For nearly 70 years, the Mount Macedon site in Victoria played an important role in national emergency management training and education.

First established as a civil defence training school, it later became known as the Australian Counter Disaster College (ACDC) and then the Australian Emergency Management Institute (AEMI). While emergency management training and knowledge sharing takes many different forms now, the institute’s history reflects a long-standing focus on building capability, supporting collaboration and sharing practice across Australia’s emergency management sector. 

Origins in civil defence (1950s-1960s) 

The institute opened on as the Australian Civil Defence School on 2 July 1956, amid Cold War concerns. It was initially administered by the Department of the Interior, where it focused on preparing civil authorities and communities for wartime hazards and nuclear-era threats.  

Throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s, training at Mount Macedon centred on protecting the civilian population. Civil defence courses covered rescue operations, first aid, and fallout shelters, which reflected the era’s preoccupation with potential attacks.  

The opening of the Australian Civil Defence School marked the beginning of a national centre for emergency preparedness training, with its role expanding as Australia's risk landscape changed.

Broadening to 'counter disaster' (1970s-1980s) 

By the late 1960s, disasters, such as bushfires, cyclones, and floods, highlighted the need to expand beyond the civil defence remit. In 1974, following devastating disaster events such as the Lismore Floods and Cyclone Tracy, the federal government created the Natural Disasters Organisation (NDO) to absorb civil defence functions and emphasise an all-hazards disaster management approach.  

This pivotal shift saw the Mount Macedon facility transform into the ACDC. During the ACDC era, Mount Macedon’s programs grew to encompass disasters alongside civil defence. Under the NDO’s guidance, ACDC became a hub for multi-agency disaster management training.  

The curriculum evolved to include planning for bushfires, floods, cyclones, and other disaster emergencies. Exercises and courses fostered coordination among state emergency services, police, military, and community organisations to build a national network of disaster management professionals. During this time, the College also began curating and disseminating research.  

In 1986, it launched The Macedon Digest, a quarterly newsletter sharing lessons and research findings with practitioners nationwide. This publication (the forerunner to today’s Australian Journal of Emergency Management) underscored the institute’s growing role in knowledge exchange and thought leadership within the sector.  

By the 1980s, Australia’s approach had firmly shifted from a ‘civil defence’ focus to comprehensive emergency management. The ACDC embraced an all-hazards, all-agencies approach, emphasising preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation strategies. Mount Macedon was not just a training site – it became a national focal point for emergency management doctrine and collaboration and helped to set standards and build consistency across Australia.  

Transition to AEMI (1990s–2000s) 

In 1993, the emergency management sector underwent significant national reforms, including the renaming of the Natural Disasters Organisation (NDO) to Emergency Management Australia (EMA). The ACDC was also renamed was also renamed the Australian Emergency Management Institute (AEMI). This change signified an expanding mission: it was no longer just a ‘college’ for disaster response drills and had now grown into a national institute for emergency management education, policy consultation, and leadership development.  

Under EMA’s stewardship, AEMI delivered an array of courses on emergency management planning, risk management, community awareness, and disaster resilience. It became a Registered Training Organisation, ensuring formal recognition of its courses nationally. The Institute also maintained a specialist library and information centre along with publishing the Australian Journal of Emergency Management (AJEM) and the Australian Emergency Management Handbook series. Managing these resources further solidified AEMI’s role in knowledge dissemination.

In 2001, the Institute moved from the Department of Defence portfolio to EMA within the Attorney-General’s Department. This shift placed AEMI firmly within Australia’s national emergency management arrangements and supported its growing focus on sector capability, coordination, and professional development. 

Throughout the 2000s, AEMI continued this role by delivering workshops, exercises, and forums that brought together emergency managers, policymakers, and community leaders from across Australia. Its programs adapted to emerging priorities, including terrorism, climate change and community resilience, while continuing to provide a place for shared learning, practical training and cross-sector collaboration. 

Relocation, legacy, and new beginnings (2010s–present) 

By the 2010s, training needs and technologies had started to change. In 2014, the Federal Government announced that the Mount Macedon AEMI campus would close, ending nearly 60 years of continuous use of the site as a national training centre. The physical campus closed in 2015, marking the end of an era.  

However, the institute’s legacy and national role continued beyond the closure of the Mount Macedon campus. The Australian Government moved to a 'virtual' training model within EMA, and in 2016 established the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience (AIDR) to continue national capability development and knowledge sharing. AIDR continued many functions formerly delivered through Mount Macedon, including developing a knowledge hub, managing the handbook series and AJEM, and convening professional development programs. In essence, AIDR became the new embodiment of the national institute, focusing on disaster resilience and education in a contemporary, networked way.  

Meanwhile, the Mount Macedon site found new life under state stewardship. In 2016, the Victorian Government reopened the facility as the Victorian Emergency Management Institute (VEMI). VEMI continues the training tradition at the historic Mount Macedon campus, now serving state and local emergency services and community groups as a modern conference and training centre.  

Conclusion 

From its birth in an era of civil defence to its transformation into a contemporary resilience knowledge network, the Mount Macedon institute’s 70-year history reflects the growth and adaptation of emergency management in Australia. In its various iterations from the Australian Civil Defence School, ACDC, and AEMI, each shared a common purpose: building the nation’s disaster preparedness and management capability. While the physical Mount Macedon site now operates under Victorian management, the institute’s national legacy endures through AIDR’s ongoing work to develop, maintain, and share knowledge for a disaster-resilient Australia.