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was appropriate given increase in major events headed by Andrew Colvin,of Deloitte’s, also for- mer Commissioner AFP, issued April 30 2024] BM : We must remain firmly invested in build- ing national capabilities that are scalable, mo- bile and able to co-ordinate response and re- covery no matter where, when nor the hazard. Similarly ensuring all we do builds resilient sys- tems. Systems be they community, economic, environmental, technological that can with- stand any of the challenges our complex risk environment poses. JK : I will give my considered opinion, if I may. Having read scores of government reports, re- views, green and white papers, et cetera, over the years and recognizing that Australia is a well gov- erned country in the main -certainly on a compar- ative basis – the Glasser and Colvin reviews are basically constructive, and actually unsurprising, especially for a fairly new organisation. If one were to compare –microscopically, as these things are done – any very large private sec- tor corporation, or in fact a newly merged federal government department -for example, one would find no doubt a similar, if not identical quantity of perceived shortcomings, possibly more. Except for one thing: very few private sector companies or government departments deal with quite as much sheer complexity and un- certainty, -and urgency- as NEMA. This is not to say that the issues raised are trivial, some are fundamental. I’d like to move on please to a subject which, based on some personal experience is rather special, gladdening. That is the generally long tenure of people in the Emergency and Disas- ter management sphere, and their devotion, and ask if in your view Australia stands out, or

if I am wearing rose tinted glasses here? BM : I’ve spent a lot of time overseas, been on front lines, and I would agree ……..there is something remarkable about the Australi- an Emergency management sector in terms of individual’s sense of mission and accomplish- ment, of attitude. There are many people who have been in this sector for a very long time. Their commitment is deep. But it is also important to look at the great diversity of the sector which as it evolves – we have many more partners now than previously – which is a necessity as Climate Change itself is rapidly evolving …. that the different sorts of people involved are more varied. They range from career specialists who are deeply attached to their roles, volunteers, local government, the ADF, the NFP sector, the private sector. And younger people are now entering as volunteers, and to engage ideally with them, we must evolve for them, to earn their commitment. JK : Twenty years ago one heard, proudly, now and then, and I think credibly enough, that emer- gency management in Australia was regarded as one of the best, in some areas perhaps the best in the world. Do you share that view? BM : We don’t look at it in that way. Of course, we have some highly capable, superior local and regional services and authorities. But we have more a global outlook, an attitude of shar- ing. It’s not about comparisons as such. I not long ago came off of an event where- in we had 4-5,000 people made homeless. I shortly after hosted a team from Nepal who had been grappling with 700,000 victims of an earthquake, a figure so high I could hardly even comprehend it. People who had taken a year off work to deal with the consequences.

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