Mackay groups win community safety award

A disaster action plan which targets Indigenous Queenslanders living in remote areas has scooped a top prize at the 2008 Queensland Safer Communities Awards.

Born out of their experiences during the floods in Mackay earlier this year, a coalition of groups won the Not-for-Profit category for a new model which aims to assist Indigenous communities affected by natural disasters.

During the devastating floods, several local groups identified a need for a specialised recovery unit dedicated to assisting Indigenous, Torres Strait and South Sea Islander community affected by the natural disaster.

They were spurred into action after finding local Indigenous communities were not accessing services at the same rate as non-Indigenous locals.

The Red Cross, Department of Communities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Partnerships Service Delivery Directorate, the Yumadi Home and Community Care Service and the Mackay Aboriginal and Islander Community Health Service all joined forces.

They created the Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and South Sea Islander Disaster Recovery Model which can be activated during any future disaster recovery operations.

Minister for Emergency Services Neil Roberts praised the groups for the tailor-made approach to providing emergency services.

“I am aware of the challenges faced by our professional and volunteer emergency service personnel and the need for a whole-of-community approach to safety,” Mr Roberts said.

“These sorts of organisational and community initiatives are a vital link in the chain of effective emergency management.

“The Safer Community Awards are about fostering new ideas as well as partnerships between organisations, individuals and government to help make Queensland safer.”

The 2008 Queensland Safer Communities Awards, sponsored by Emergency Management Australia, recognise best practice and innovation across the state’s emergency management sector, as well as business, government and community organisations.

The awards cover all aspects of community safety from risk assessment, research, education and training, information and knowledge management, prevention, preparation, response and recovery.

Presenting the awards at Emergency Service headquarters in Kedron, Brisbane, Mr Roberts said the standard of the 17 entries in this year’s awards was especially high.

“We have had a record number of entries from across local and state government, as well as not-for-profit and educational institutions this year,” he said.

Five Queensland award-winners become finalists and will be judged in the national awards, which will be presented in Canberra at the Australian Safer Communities Awards Ceremony held in November.

Three entries in the Cross-Jurisdictional/National Significance category will also be judged for the National Awards.

The Queensland award winners are:

In the State Government category the winner was:

Emergency Management Queensland, Department of Emergency Services and Local Government Association of Queensland with ‘Disaster Education Resources for Young People and Children Project’.

In the Local Government category the joint winners were:

Burdekin Shire Council with the ‘Burdekin Shire's Disaster Management CD’.

South East Queensland Disaster Management Advisory Group – ‘Regional Standard Operating Procedures for Event Coordination Centres’.

In the Education, Training and Research Category:

Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety - Queensland – with the “Under the Limit” Drink Driving Prevention and Rehabilitation Program.

In the Not-for-Profit category the winner was:

Red Cross (Lead), Department of Communities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Partnership Unit, Yumadi HACC, Mackay Aboriginal and Islander Community Health Service for their ‘Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and South Sea Islander Disaster Recovery Model’.

Media Contacts

Emergency Services Media – 3247 8194

Jessica Lawrence (Minister’s office) – 3247 8992.