Policy Roundtables for Aboriginal Disaster Resilience spark new collaborations and reform discussions
Connection and collaboration were the focal points of the Policy Roundtable for Aboriginal Disaster Resilience in South Australia on 10th April, which brought together key Aboriginal organisations, community leaders and representatives from local emergency management and disaster resilience agencies, to enhance Aboriginal disaster resilience in South Australia.
Hosted by Fire to Flourish’s National Indigenous Disaster Resilience (NIDR) program with support from the South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission (SAFECOM), this event marked the initiation of a series of roundtables to be organised and hosted by NIDR across each state and territory throughout 2024-25.
“The goal of these NIDR Policy Roundtables is to travel the country, providing platforms for local Indigenous and sectoral leaders in each state and territory to come together, learn from each other and advocate for Indigenous inclusion in all disaster management arrangements,” NIDR Program Lead Bhiamie Williamson said.
Meeting on Kaurna Country in Adelaide, delegates were welcomed with a smoke cleansing ceremony from Cliffy Wilson and opening words from Joe Szakacs MP, Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Julia Waddington-Powell, Chief Executive of SAFECOM, and Briony Rogers, CEO of Fire to Flourish.
“I’ve seen firsthand some of the disproportionate impacts of disasters on First Nations communities,” Minister Szakacs said. “I acknowledge that we can do better and that there is genuine eagerness to collaborate with native title holders. Your job as sector leaders is to listen more and inform what we do better.”
NIDR facilitated an inclusive environment that prioritised Aboriginal voices. Representatives from organisations such as Thirriwirri, SA Bush Heritage Australia, Australian Red Cross, Burrandies Aboriginal Corporation, Firesticks and Yadu Health Aboriginal Corporation shared their experiences and led discussions about disasters, governance and grants from their perspectives.
Bruce Hammond, a Western Arrernte/Tanganekald man and Aboriginal Partnerships Manager at SA Bush Heritage Australia, underscored the significance of Aboriginal involvement in fortifying disaster resilience in South Australian communities.
“Aboriginal success in these regions means success for everyone in this room,” he said. “We have people making decisions about our Country without knowledge of the land. We need a more collective approach, sharing outcomes across the region and enhancing community cohesion.”
Johanna Garnett and Molly Gilford from SAFECOM provided insights into disaster management in South Australia, covering policy, strategy, grants, systems mapping and recovery approaches.
Workshops led by Bhiamie Williamson and Dr Emma McNicol, Research Fellow at NIDR, helped to unpack some of the challenges with current data practices in disaster management, and advocated for a strengths-based approach to Indigenous inclusion, aligning with the objectives of the Fire to Flourish program.
“We consider the environment as the economy, and people and life as part of that environment,” said Clem Newchurch, Kaurna Narungga man and Lead Fire Practitioner at Firesticks. “Our old people worked with the landscape, listening to it, knowing what it did and didn’t like, and we didn’t need the resilience to recover from disasters until now.”
Throughout the event, emergency management agency representatives exchanged information with Aboriginal community and organisational leaders, identifying opportunities, challenges and priority reforms that enhance Aboriginal inclusion.
The overarching aim of NIDR is to enhance the resilience of Indigenous communities in the face of increasing disasters. NIDR is creating an authoritative knowledge base, practical resources for Indigenous communities and organisations, and championing systems change within the Australian emergency management and disaster resilience and recovery sectors.
For updates on the NIDR program progress and information on upcoming events, follow NIDR on LinkedIn or subscribe to our monthly newsletter.