Australia’s Emergency Management Ministers have released the Second National Action Plan to implement the National Disaster Risk Reduction Framework, amplifying a call to action for all Australians to reduce systemic disaster risks.
Australia’s disaster risk environment is complex. Recent cascading and compounding disasters have challenged us all. The decisions we make about how and where we live and work can create, amplify or reduce risk. However, it is not inevitable that disaster risk continues to grow. As a nation, we recognise the importance of reducing disaster risk and enhancing resilience beyond avoiding loss and damage. Risk reduction achieves substantial investment return, provides significant co-benefits, and enables all Australians to be safe and to prosper.
The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 is the key international framework driving disaster risk reduction. It seeks to achieve a substantial reduction of disaster risk by 2030. Australia’s National Disaster Risk Reduction Framework guides our efforts to reduce disaster risk in line with the Sendai Framework. Australia’s National Mid-term Review of the Sendai Framework showed that while we have made great progress towards this goal, more work is needed.
The Second National Action Plan, released on 25 August 2023 by Australian Emergency Management Ministers, articulates the action needed in Australia to achieve the Sendai Framework Goals and Outcomes.
The First National Action Plan, released in 2020, was a starting point. It listed government initiatives aligned to the Framework already underway, championing shared responsibility and coordination across government portfolios.
The National Emergency Management Agency, in partnership with the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience and CSIRO, invited stakeholders from across the Australian community – not just from government or the traditional emergency management sector – to shape the Second National Action Plan.
The Second National Action Plan is for all Australians – individuals, communities, organisations and sectors, and governments. By effectively coordinating and aligning action, this Plan aims to reduce systemic disaster risk to create stronger, more secure and more resilient communities before, during and after disasters.
The Second National Action Plan seeks to:
- increase our understanding of disaster risk and provide a national picture of risk
- deliver inclusive plans at the household, community, regional and state levels to mitigate those risks
- inform investments so they work to reduce disaster risk and deliver co-benefits across social, physical and economic domains
- empower all Australians to actively participate in risk planning and the decisions that impact them.
The Second National Action Plan provides direction to drive disaster risk reduction across all sectors, in all decisions, by all Australians. Disaster risk reduction is a shared responsibility. While individuals and communities have their roles to play, they do not control many of the levers needed to reduce systemic disaster risks. Governments – whether local, state or federal – have a key role in disaster risk reduction, as does industry.
Together, Australian Emergency Management Ministers, support the call for all stakeholders to implement this plan, and to continue building a disaster resilient Australia for generations to come.