Australian Emergency Management Institute embarks upon new chapter

by AEMI

Article

After nearly 60 years at Mount Macedon, Victoria, the Australian Emergency Management Institute (AEMI) is moving to Canberra. The relocation will be completed by mid-2015.

On a historical note, the original premises for AEMI was first opened in 1956 at Mount Macedon in Victoria, then known as the Australian Civil Defence School, which was then renamed AEMI in 1993. In 2001, the Institute moved from the Department of Defence to Emergency Management Australia (EMA) in the Attorney-General's Department.

EMA-AEMI concept

The AEMI concept, as often showcased to overseas agencies, is that it is embedded in the Australian government and is connected to a policy environment. It is directed and guided by the government and senior executives of the Australia–New Zealand Emergency Management Committee. In this way, EMA-AEMI focuses on capability development for the whole nation.

EMA-AEMI’s liaison with jurisdictions and agencies in pursuit of national capability development through excellence in education and knowledge management is a fundamental success factor for the Institute.

EMA-AEMI in 2015 and beyond

EMA-AEMI’s core objective—to build capability through collaboration, innovation and education—will continue to guide the Institute as it transitions to a new era, with a new base in Canberra.

EMA-AEMI will continue to develop new products and services for the emergency management sector, including workshops, seminars, masterclasses and other events, bringing together practitioners, policy makers and other key stakeholders to build knowledge and collegiality at a senior level.

Other products and services will continue to be at the heart of EMA-AEMI’s work encompassing community awareness programs, school education activities, ongoing development of the Australian Emergency Management Knowledge Hub, including the library, and publishing the Australian Emergency Management Handbook Series and the Australian Journal of Emergency Management.

The Institute has played a significant role in driving national emergency management capability and disaster resilience for close to six decades and will do so well into the future, with its influence reaching across Australia and regions of interest.