The quiet achievers in Local Government received national recognition last year under a new awards scheme – the Australian Safer Communities Awards – managed by Emergency Management Australia (EMA).
According to Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence, Dr Brendan Nelson, who launched the 2001 awards in Canberra on 28 February, the Awards last year underlined the key role that Local Government plays in not only responding to disasters, but preventing them.
“Councils play a pivotal role right across Australia in the way that communities respond to and prepare for disasters,” he said. “The striking feature of the award entries last year was the attention paid to mitigation and preparedness.
“Great examples for the 2000 Awards are the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River in Western Australia, Gold Coast City Council in Queensland, and Wollongong City Council in New South Wales – they all received awards for their work in disaster prevention, preparation and response.”
Dr Nelson said he was hoping the 2001 Awards would attract a bigger response from the Local Government sector, which would assist in recognising the men and women in the numerous emergency management organisations across Australia for their tireless efforts and crucial work.
How to Enter
“If you work for a Local Government, volunteer or community organisation that has been actively involved in emergency management – before or after a disaster – then EMA wants to hear about it and recognise it,” Dr Nelson said.
The awards are designed to recognise organisations or people who have helped to keep Australians and their property safe from disasters or assisted with the response to and the rebuilding after disasters.
“While Awards search for excellence in emergency management — the best practice that has built safer communities across Australia — they will also recognise the ‘unsung heroes’ who work often behind the scenes,” Dr Nelson said.
“The Awards will not only recognise the work of local Councils in areas such as flood mitigation, but also bushfire brigades in both fighting and preventing fires through hazard awareness campaigns, and schools and community groups for innovative information and education programs on natural hazards.”
In each State and Territory there will be ten Awards which will ensure that every organisation, regardless of its size or where it might be located, will have a chance of winning. The winners from across the country will then face the national judges who will be searching to identify the best of the best.
Dr Nelson said that disasters can and do strike in every part of Australia and that emergency management was a direct and real concern for every Local Government organisation.
“Cyclones hit randomly right across Northern Australia, severe storms strike major cities and remote areas, floods have no boundaries, and earthquakes hit without warning,” he said.
The Awards cover all areas of emergency management – Prevention, Preparedness, Response and Recovery. There are two categories:
Pre-Disaster – This award will cover activities aimed at preventing or mitigating disasters or their effects. It will also cover preparedness activities.
Post-Disaster – Two areas will be covered by the Post-Disaster category: response and recovery.
The awards will be available in five streams.
- Federal and State Government agencies
- Local Government
- Voluntary organisations, including community organisations
- Private sector organisations,
- Combined project teams (which could include all the above).
A judging panel at State and Territory level will assess each category. These panels will be organised by the peak Emergency Management Committee and will consist of judges representing each sector.
The State and Territory winning entries in each category and stream will be forwarded to EMA for consideration in the National Awards in the same categories and streams.
The judges will assess each entry’s contribution to community safety with consideration being given to the following.
- How the project improved community safety and what future benefits are expected.
- The degree to which the project represents best practice – or how it is leading the way in national or international approaches.
- Innovation – how well a new approach, process or technique implemented.
- How effectively and efficiently the project was implemented.
- How others (including emergency management organisations, the community, local business) will get benefits from the project.
Entries for the 2001 Awards, covering the period January to December 2000, will close on 31 May 2001 The nomination form and full details on the Australian Safer Community Awards are now available on EMA’s Internet site www.ema.gov.au under News and Current Issues.
Alternatively, you can register your interest in the Awards by contacting the Awards Secretariat on (02) 6248 9344, by facsimile on (02) 6257 3363, or by sending an Email to awards@ema.gov.au Postal address is Australian Safer Communities Award, EMA, PO Box 1020, DICKSON ACT 2602.
Dr Nelson said the Awards Secretariat was available to assist Councils prepare entries.
