INQ267

Planning for Recovery Centres Recovery Centres are a proven means of providing support to affected communities.

PES External Surge Program The success of the PES External Surge Program and the willingness of participants to deploy at short notice to support the recovery effort is commendable, as is the readiness of their supervisors to release them from their duties to enable deployment.

Media Engagement Consideration should be given on future recovery operations to adopting a more structured approach to media engagement, with regular media briefings undertaken at a frequency dependent upon the phase of the recovery activities and the level of media interest.

Government Communications Coordination
In future events, a more coordinated communications structure across Government, where
planned Government announcements relevant to the region in recovery are developed in

Impact Assessment Data Sharing Project
There is a clear need to train and raise awareness amongst Local and Regional Emergency
Management Committees (LEMC / REMC), as well as community and non-government

Planning for Access to Potentially Isolated Communities
The challenges faced by Dungog Council in resolving the Torryburn access issue resulted in
extended delays that impacted adversely on the Torryburn community. The issue arose

Coordination of Volunteer Support
A key challenge for recovery staff is the coordination across community volunteer groups and
individuals to ensure support provided is complementary and directed to the areas in most

MP Recovery Reference Group
The creation of the MP Recovery Reference Group enabled a separation of operational
recovery activities, managed by the Recovery Coordinator through the Regional Recovery

Streamlining NDRRA Grants Processes
Noting the need for financial oversight in assessing NDRRA determinations, these grants are
important to the community and opportunities to streamline the approvals process should

Improvements to the Targeting of Government Support to Build Primary Industry Resilience
In a climate where Governments at all levels are seeking to maximise the effectiveness of
Australian businesses, including primary production, there would seem to be some benefit in

Farm Management Deposits
The Farm Management Deposit Scheme appears to be a well-structured framework for
building rural resilience, however its uptake is low. Recent Commonwealth Government

Improving Community Preparedness and Resilience
Noting work ongoing to improve the quality of planning at LEMC level, communities should
be encouraged and assisted where possible to make simple assessments of their risks and

Transition from Response to Recovery
The management of the transition from the Response Phase of an emergency event to the
Recovery Phase is important to ensure the continuity of effective management of the event.

VIP Visits
The value of visits by senior Government members and Vice Regal representatives to disaster
affected communities cannot be overstated. On all occasions, the visits lifted community

Telecommunications and Power Infrastructure
Noting the high reliance within the community on power and telecommunications
infrastructure, there would be benefit for Governments at both State and Federal level to

Corrections Volunteer Labour Teams
The employment of volunteer Corrections inmates in community support cleanup work was
well received by the community and should not be overlooked in future recovery operations.