Australian Journal of Emergency Management | AJEM

It was an honour to join my team on stage to receive the 2023 Resilient Australia National Award at the National Award Ceremony in Perth on 22 November for our Person-Centred Emergency Preparedness Certificate Course. With me were representatives from each of the groups who are advancing inclusive approaches to disaster risk reduction in their communities.

At the Centre for Disability Research and Policy at the University of Sydney, we have been working in partnership to co-design new ways of working that ensure people with disability and their support needs are at the centre of disaster preparation and planning. Together, we are advancing disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction through shared learning, local collaborative actions and the co-production of tools that everyone can use. 

For each of the winners and finalists across the 6 award categories, the awards have provided an important platform to share knowledge and advance disaster resilience and risk reduction at a national scale.

I encourage you to learn more about the winning and highly commended projects in this edition of the Australian Journal of Emergency Management, and hope you find inspiration in what they have achieved and contributed to resilience building in Australia.

Associate Professor Michelle Villeneuve
Deputy Director, Centre for Disability Research and Policy, University of Sydney