Standing Council on Police and Emergency Management meeting
Hon Judith
Collins
Minister of
Police
11 November 2011
Communique
Standing Council on Police and
Emergency Management meeting
Hon Judith
Collins MP
Minister of Police
Hon Craig Foss MP
Minister for Civil Defence
Hon Robert McClelland MP
Attorney-General
Hon Brendan O’Connor MP
Minister for Home Affairs
and Justice
Hon Michael Gallacher MP
Minister for Police and Emergency Services
Hon Peter Ryan MLA
Minister for Police and Emergency
Services
Hon Neil Roberts MP
Minister for Police, Corrective and Emergency
Services
Hon Rob Johnson MP
Minister for Police
and Emergency Services
Hon Jennifer Rankine MP
Minister for Police and Emergency Services
Mr David O’Byrne MP
Minister for Police and
Emergency Management
Mr Simon Corbell MLA
Minister for Police and Emergency Services
Hon Paul Henderson MLA
Minister for Police, Fire and
Emergency Services
Mayor Bob Abbott
Australian
Local Government Association
The
inaugural meeting of the Standing Council on Police and
Emergency Management (SCPEM) was held today in Auckland, New
Zealand. The new Council, established by the Council of
Australian Governments in October 2011, forms part of the
new Ministerial Council arrangements recommended in the
Hawke Review. It brings together previously separate police
and emergency management ministerial councils offering an
integrated and strategic approach to the critical work and
cutting-edge reforms being implemented in these areas.
The new Council
Member
jurisdictions will share chairing and hosting of the
Council. New Zealand hosted this meeting, with the Hon
Judith Collins MP, Minister for Police chairing the meeting.
One minute of silence was observed for Remembrance Day,
which continues to be a strong symbol of the co-operative
ties and shared heritage that binds Australia and New
Zealand.
Emergency
Management
With Australian and New Zealand
communities still rebuilding after last summer’s
devastating Canterbury earthquakes and Australian floods,
cyclones and bushfires, the meeting provided a timely
opportunity for Ministers to consider ongoing rebuilding and
reconstruction work and examine disaster arrangements in
preparation for the coming summer.
SCPEM’s strategic
priorities
The Council focussed on the
significant gains that have been made in building more
disaster resilient governments, businesses, communities and
households under the National Strategy for Disaster
Resilience (the Strategy). The Strategy emphasises shared
responsibility and a shift toward better planning and
investment in disaster prevention, preparedness and
mitigation.
The Council also agreed to jointly progress priorities of national significance including combating serious and organised crime, cybercrime, inter-jurisdictional co-operation in law enforcement and initiatives to address alcohol fuelled crime, public safety, child protection and related crimes.
Learning from the past to plan for the
future
It is a Council priority to ensure
that findings from significant commissions of inquiry into
disaster events are taken into account in improving
preparation, prevention and mitigation activities.
Governments, businesses, non government organisations and
the community can learn from these lessons to become better
prepared for future disasters.
Inquiries provide valuable lessons for informing national emergency management policy development, including the ongoing implementation of the Strategy.
At the meeting, the Council considered the Review of Recent Australian Disaster Inquiries, an independent study recently commissioned by the Commonwealth Government which considered common themes across a number of disaster inquires. Importantly, this examination of our past experience supports the decision to take a national resilience based approach now and into the future.
Building Disaster Resilience
Capability
Following a successful flood
technology forum in September 2011, Ministers agreed to
continue to harness the latest scientific and technical
expertise by conducting another forum in 2012. The theme
for 2012 will be public warning and communication systems
and situational awareness.
Ministers also discussed several new initiatives that will provide an immediate boost to our ability to provide information to the public and connect them with each other quickly so that they are better prepared and informed as we head into the Australian disaster season:
• A new Smartphone app will be
ready by the end of the year which will provide users with
mobile access to information about natural disasters to help
them make better informed decisions about what to do and how
to prepare.
• A national approach to improving State
and Territory Triple Zero call services at times of high
demand including:
o improving interoperability of
communications systems,
o adoption of national phone
numbers for State Emergency Services and Police Assistance,
o all jurisdictions are continuing to partner in the
further enhancement of the Emergency Alert system.
Ministers agreed to look at ways to improve the integrity of
static data relied on by the system, and
o agreement on
developing national standardised qualifications for Triple
Zero call takers.
• The Commonwealth, States and
Territories are working to provide public safety agencies
with a nationally-interoperable mobile broadband capability.
This will help first responders get better information about
disasters earlier, so that lives and property can be
protected.
• Effective communication is not only
vital during a crisis but also across the whole prevention,
preparedness, response and recovery spectrum. At today’s
meeting, Ministers endorsed a National Disaster Resilience
Communication Strategy, underpinned by six key resilience
messages:
o Disasters will happen – Natural
disasters are inevitable, unpredictable and significantly
impact communities and the economy.
o Disaster
resilience is your business – Governments, businesses,
not-for-profit organisations, communities and individuals
all have a role to play and to be
prepared.
o Connected communities are resilient
communities- connected communities are ready to look
after each other in times of crisis when immediate
assistance may not be available.
o Know your risk
– Every Australian should know how to prepare for any
natural disaster.
o Get Ready – then act –
reduce the effects of future disasters by knowing what to
do.
o Learning from experience – we reduce the
effects of future disasters by learning from past
experiences.
Knowing our risks
Ministers noted that the Interim Report
from the Queensland Flood Commission of Inquiry and the
Review of Recent Australian Disaster Inquires
highlighted the importance of knowing our risks for
different hazards and factoring this into our disaster
preparation.
Ministers agreed on the importance of being able to compare risk assessment and hazard mapping across jurisdictions by adopting the National Emergency Risk Assessment Guidelines. They also acknowledged some of the barriers faced to publishing this information and will take steps in the coming months to address these. This will support disaster resilient policy and planning by governments, town planners, developers, householders and the insurance industry.
Ministers acknowledged the central role of the private sector in making sure essential goods and services continue to be provided or are restored quickly during natural disasters. Key industry sectors will be invited to participate in a national exercise to test our preparations for a major disaster scenario. This will see the start of a national exercise program for emergency management that will allow feedback on issues of national strategic interest to be provided to the National Emergency Management Committee.
Continuing
Support for disaster response and recovery
Ministers endorsed a report of the Review
of effectiveness of disaster relief and recovery payments
and resolved to implement its recommendations. The Review
examines payments and other assistance to individuals and
communities affected by natural disasters with a view to
better targeting and reducing possible disincentives to
disaster resilience. To inform this process, Ministers
committed to better data collection and analysis to evaluate
the outcomes of assistance.
Ministers acknowledged the indispensable role of emergency volunteers in disaster response and recovery and resolved to remove impediments to their attraction, support and retention. In particular, this will include identifying and addressing disincentives that may be operating within existing jurisdictional regulatory, training and accreditation frameworks.
Policing
National Organised Crime Response
Plan
Ministers noted the significant work of
the Commonwealth, States and Territories under the National
Organised Crime Response Plan 2011-13, which sets strategic
principles and strategies to underpin a multi-jurisdictional
approach to combating organised crime in Australia.
Ministers today agreed to a range of priority measures under
the National Response Plan, and agreed to oversee
implementation of measures that focus on policing and law
enforcement issues and justice initiatives.
National co-ordination of law enforcement
cybercrime training and capabilities
In 2010
the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency (ANZPAA),
taking into account a recommendation from the National
Cybercrime Working Group and discussion with the ANZPAA
e-Crime Committee and the Electronic Evidence Specialist
Advisory Group, agreed to progress the issue of national
collaboration in the provision of training and acquisition
of technical capabilities in the e crime area.
Ministers today noted the completion of training and education guidelines for the use of technology crime investigators and digital evidence practitioners as well as an online cybercrime conference and training calendar to ensure national awareness of law enforcement training and education. This is the first such time guidelines have been developed and will allow Commonwealth, State and Territory law enforcement agencies to better coordinate their activities to address cyber crime.
Emerging Drug
Issues
Ministers resolved that the
proliferation of synthetic cannabinoids and analogue drugs
is an emerging issue that should be considered at a national
level, noting concerns about the marketing of Synthetic
cannabinoids as a legal high. Ministers agreed that the
Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department will work with
other jurisdictions to examine in detail options for a
nationally consistent response to synthetic cannabinoids and
report to the Ministers when they meet again in 2012.
National Scheme for the Mutual Recognition of
DVOs and Information Sharing
Capability
Ministers expressed in principle
support for the automatic mutual recognition of DVOs and the
benefits a scheme will bring in ensuring protection to
aggrieved persons and their children throughout Australia.
Ministers also agreed that the Commonwealth will establish
and lead a National Police Reference System Working Group,
with representatives from Australian State and Territory
police services and relevant courts and justice personnel,
to consider in detail, the information sharing issues and
associated costs that attend this proposal, and report back
to SCPEM by the next meeting to ensure mutual recognition of
DVOs is facilitated as quickly as possible.