Introduction
For more information about the impacts of climate change in Australia, visit:
For detailed information about the impacts of climate change and disasters on people experiencing poverty and community organisations in Australia, check out:
Read the National Strategy for Disaster Resilience to learn more about the role of different sectors in building Australia's disaster resilience.
The World Bank and the United Nations have produced extensive resources on Disaster Risk Management.
Contact ACOSS to learn more about the work we are doing with the community sector, business and goverment to ensure equitable solutions to the effects of climate change.
LeadingYou can find general information about organisational resilience at:
The Australian Government's Comcare webpage also contains useful information about creating a mentally healthy workplace for workers and volunteers
You can find specfic information about disaster resilience, including the National Strategy for Disaster Resilience at the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience and the Disaster Resilience Knowlege Hub.
You can find out more about disaster and emergency management in Australia at:
For specific information about leading and managing resilient organisations, visit the Resilient Organisations website.
BuildingThe Adapting the Community Sector for Climate Extremes report presents quantitative and qualitative data about the role community organisations can and do play in supporting people and communities to prepare for and respond to disasters.
The National Strategy for Disaster Resilience recognises the important role community organisations play in helping people and communities to prepare for, respond to and recover from disaster.
The Victorian Council of Social Service has produced numerous reports about the impacts of disasters on people experiencing poverty and the role of the community sector in emergency management.
The following Federal and State Emergency Management agencies are a good place to start to find out more about the arrangements in your state or territory. They will be able to provide you with links to relevant plans and emergency service organisations.
Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council
Australian Emergency Management Knowledge Hub
ACT: ACT Emergency Services Agency
NSW: Emergency NSW, Office of Emergency Management, NSW Department of Justice
NT: Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services
QLD: Get Ready Queensland
SA: South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission
TAS: Department of Police and Emergency Services
VIC: Emergency Management Victoria
WA: Department of Fire and Emergency Services
Get in touch with your Council of Social Service to keep up to date on sector developments and get connected.
ACOSS www.acoss.org.au
ACTCOSS http://www.actcoss.org.au/
NCOSS http://www.ncoss.org.au/
NTCOSS http://www.ntcoss.org.au/
SACOSS https://www.sacoss.org.au/
TASCOSS http://www.tascoss.org.au/
VCOSS http://vcoss.org.au/
WACOSS http://www.wacoss.org.au/home.aspx
Your local council should also be a good source of information about disaster preparedness activities in your local area.
The Victorian Council of Social Service has produced numerous reports about the impacts of disasters on people experiencing poverty and the role of the community sector in emergency management.
You can find information abou the impacts of climate change on vulnerable people and communities via the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility's Vulnerable Communities Network.
KnowingGeosciences Australia provides useful information about different types of natural hazards, emergency management and risk and impact analysis.
The Bureau of Meteorology provides current national extreme weather warnings and regular updates about the impacts of climate change in Australia and globally.
The following organisations provide historical and up-to-date information about emergency and disaster risks in Australia:
To better understand how climate change is likely to affect the risks from disasters and emergencies your organisation faces, check out the CSIROs comprehensive climate change projections for Australia.
Sign up to the ACOSS and Climate Risk Community Sector Risk and Adaptation Registers to start searching our comprehensive list of extreme weather risks and adaptation strategies for community organisations.
ManagingFor a comprehensive overview of adaptation options use the Community Sector Risk Register
Becoming energy efficient can be easy! Be inspired by our Give Grid
There are some great templates and information about business continuity on the following government websites:
To learn more about IT security, continuity and recovery options visit Improve IT
Safe Work Australia has a great checklist you can use when creating an emergency plan:
Comcare's virtual office tool and other resources will be helpful when creating or updating your emergency plan and procedures
The following websites provide useful information about understanding insurance and finding a broker or insurer:
Insurance Council of Australia
The Disaster Assist website provides information about the Australian Government's recovery assistance for current disasters as well as links to assistance and response provided during previous disasters.
The Australian Government has also produced a Community Recovery Handbook, which is accessible via the Attorney General's Department Emergency Management webpage.
The Red Cross is also provides a useful suite of recovery resources.
You can find information about specific topics relevant to disaster recovery via the links below:
Safe Work Australia has a great checklist you can use when creating an emergency plan.
Comcare's virtual office tool and other resources may also be helpful when creating or updating your emergency plan and procedures http://www.comcare.gov.au.
PreparingThe ACOSS and Climate Risk report, Adapting the Community Sector for Climate Extremes, provides an overview of the ways in which community organisations can support people and communities to prepare for and respond to extreme weather disasters.
The Victorian Council of Social Service publishes information about the impact of disasters on people experiencing poverty and the role of community organisations in the emergency management process.
Check out Red Cross' REDiPlan resources on assisting clients, staff and volunteers to get disaster prepared.
Visit Deaf Emergency Information for emergency information specifically tailored to the needs of the deaf community, including videos about how to get prepared for emergencies presented by Auslan interpreters.
NSW Emergency Management has created a resource to support community service workers to preare clients for emergencies.
The Australian Government's Comcare webpage also contains useful information about creating a mentally healthy workplace for workers and volunteers.
LearningThe Victorian Council of Social Service publishes an emergency managment blog, which provides information about the impact of disasters on people experiencing poverty and the role of community organisations in the emergency management process.
The NCCARF Vulnerable Communities Network provides links to up to date research on the impacts of climate change and barriers to adaptation for people experiencing poverty and social disadvantage and the community organisations that support them.
