IGEM Report 1: 2017-18 - THE CYCLONE DEBBIE REVIEW

The Cyclone Debbie Review

Underlying precepts

What the System set out to achieve

Queensland’s arrangements for managing disasters have evolved, and been well tested, since the introduction of the Act. The Act states, as one of its principles, that local governments should primarily be responsible for managing events in their local government area. It mandates that strategic policy, plans, and guidelines should shape the management of all disasters. These documents recognise that communities are at the forefront of disaster impacts and show how Queensland local, district and state levels of government all work together to reduce disaster impacts and build the capacity of communities to manage disaster risks. Queensland’s size and decentralised nature underpins this exceptional local leadership of the management of disasters. Under legislation, local government councils must form a Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG or local group) and provide its key staff. The chair of the group is typically the mayor. The Local Disaster Coordinator (LDC) must be an officer from council. Members have specific roles and responsibilities that reflect the agency or organisation they represent. The local group has a range of functions for disaster management. Some for preparing plans, community awareness, communications, information, reporting, and reviewing and assessing, it shares with the next level of the System. This level is a regional grouping of state agencies, known as the District Disaster Management Group (DDMG or district group). Two other functions differentiate the local group from other levels in the System, and give it primacy for dealing with events. It must first let the district group know what it needs “to facilitate disaster management and operations.” 3 Second, the local group has the responsibility to manage disaster operations in its local area, under policies and procedures decided by the state. 4

Disasters are usually managed out of a Local Disaster Coordination Centre (LDCC). The LDC acts as the conduit between the local group and the LDCC. Local governments across Queensland differ in many ways. All have the same responsibility to appoint members to groups but the practical ability to do so will vary. Larger councils command the influence to almost replicate the district group for state agency membership. Smaller ones sometimes struggle to reach beyond the local emergency services representatives. Consequently capability to manage disaster operations varies. Support to them must vary accordingly. That support is delivered through strong regional arrangements. Twenty-two disaster districts provide the framework for the delivery of government services. The chairperson for the district group, the District Disaster Coordinator (DDC), is a police officer, appointed by the Police Commissioner. A district group coordinates their activities from the District Disaster Coordination Centre (DDCC). The district structure was reassessed in 2013-14 on the basis that disaster districts should align with local government boundaries. Queensland’s disaster districts also have functions that span the prevention, preparedness, response and recovery spectrum. In addition to those they share with local groups for preparing plans, community awareness, communications, information, reporting, and reviewing and assessing, district groups have two functions that define their support for disaster operations. They must first identify useful resources in the district, and, second, coordinate such resources and services to support local groups.

33

3 UNDERLYING PRECEPTS

What the System set out to achieve