Characteristics of a disaster resilient Victoria, Australia: Consensus from those involved in emergency management activities
The aim of this study was to reach a consensus among stakeholders on the characteristics that they consider relevant for developing a disaster-resilient Victoria (Australia). Key stakeholders were defined as members of organisations involved in emergency management activities in Victoria (i.e. federal, state and local government, emergency services organisations, businesses, non-government organisations, community groups and researchers).
The findings indicate that stakeholders perceive that a systemic approach, which encompasses both formal structures and grass roots efforts, is required to develop a disaster resilient Victoria. This view is exemplified by the three characteristics identified by stakeholders as ‘Extremely relevant’:
- Partnerships between sectors;
- Community connectedness, co-operation and support systems;
- Critical infrastructure;
Taken together, these characteristics reflect the need for co-ordinated and reliable top-down resources to support efforts at the community level. The characteristics identified as ‘Relevant’ further reinforce this view and provides further specification of the actions required to achieve this goal.
Australian Journal of Emergency Management, Volume 30. Number 3, July 2015, Pages 42-47. This article is published under a Creative Commons Attibution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.