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An official review of Queensland’s response to the floods, bushfires, storms and cyclones in 2023-24 has acknowledged it was “a complex period, characterised by multiple compounding and cascading disasters”.
But the Inspector-General of Emergency Management, Alistair Dawson, whose review was completed before the election and released on Tuesday, found authorities could do better in future.
The state’s ability to respond to floods, bushfires and cyclones was hampered by gaps in understanding around terminology and roles and responsibilities across the disaster management sector, the review found.Credit: AAP
“Limitations in capacity and capability, which impacted preparedness, response and transitional arrangements and activities, were evident during the 2023–24 severe weather season,” the review found.
“Some of these limitations were a result of the season’s complexity, the timing of events and the extent of impacts on communities, which often exceeded expectations.”
The review identified opportunities to strengthen Queensland’s disaster response capabilities, with a recommendation made regarding the importance of local resilience action plans.
“Capacity and capability were also affected by gaps in shared understanding around disaster management arrangements, protocols, terminology and roles and responsibilities across the disaster management sector and the community.
“The review identified opportunities to increase guidance and clarification across several key areas in Queensland’s disaster management arrangements.”
The Crisafulli government accepted the recommendations in-principle or in full, noting they were already “within scope of business-as-usual activities” of frontline agencies.
