There's a storm bigger than terrorism and only we can save ourselves

[Guest guest]

There's a storm bigger than terrorism and only we can save ourselves

Bergin, September 4, 2008

Security is no longer just about bombs and bullets, or guards, guns

and gates. In a significant, unreported recent speech the

Attorney-General, McClelland, outlined the Rudd Government's

new approach to national security. It shifts the political rhetoric

towards highlighting the many risks facing Australia, especially

natural disasters. While Hurricane Gustav may not have lived up to its

billing, (although nearly 2 million people fled the Louisiana coast

over the weekend), it is timely to ask: could Australia cope with such

a storm? How would authorities deal with a population that, in the

main, has little experience of such serious, sudden events?

The Attorney-General argued Australians needed the best available

tools to deal with an increasingly dangerous environment. He advocated

the need to build resilience, as a partnership between governments and

people, and this requires engaging the public.

The release of a National Security Strategy by Rudd is imminent.

It appears from McClelland's speech that Canberra's security planners

have given careful attention to the British approach adopted in its

National Risk Register, published last month.

The register is the first publicly available risk assessment from the

British government. It is meant to capture the range of emergencies

that might have a serious national impact. Risks are categorised as

accidents, such as industrial or transport; natural events, such as

floods; and malicious attacks, including terrorism. It examines each

risk in these categories, and outlines appropriate responses, not just

from government, but from business, families and individuals and the

wider community.

Risks are assessed on their likelihood and potential impact. Using

these criteria, pandemic flu is judged the most significant risk

currently facing Britain.

Similarly, the Attorney-General's remarks show the Rudd Government is

moving away from the government's blind focus on the single

risk of terrorism, and instead recognising the diverse range of risks

facing Australia.

While terrorism is a possibility, natural disasters are a certainty.

Because of the scale and speed of natural events, they have the

potential to disturb our way of life in a similar way to other

security challenges. Yet, while about $10 billion has been invested

since September 11, 2001, in Australia's counter-terrorism programs,

only about $500 million has been spent on managing the potential

consequences of a large natural disaster.

McClelland argued that while it was important the public understood

the assistance government could provide, it was equally important for

people to know their own capabilities and responsibilities during a

natural emergency.

In a welcome admission, he said governments had limited resources to

protect the country and its people. It was imperative we worked

together to promote grassroots partnerships.

That is a sensible message. For too long, the public have been told

during disasters they should sit tight and wait for help from the

government, the military or emergency services.

The Government is now adopting the language of an all-hazards approach

to national security. McClelland said it was critical to have a

co-ordinated policy on disasters, whether they were natural or caused

by terrorists.

Most encouraging was that he emphasised the need for a nationally

consistent emergency warning system. It is unbelievable that a country

prone to natural disasters still does not have an appropriate,

effective, timely national information and warning system to use

before, during and after disasters. Recent improvements to tsunami

monitoring are commendable, but they do not warn people of a potential

impact in the middle of the night.

The Government's emphasis on national resilience is sound and welcome.

But the new mantra requires strong leadership to bridge the critical

gaps in our national capability, especially at the level of state and

local government emergency services. And more work is needed to boost

volunteer recruitment and retention.

There are more than 500,000 emergency management volunteers in

Australia. They are predominantly male, their average age is 47, and

very few come from Asian, Eastern European, Middle Eastern or

indigenous backgrounds. Reinvigorating and replacing the ageing

volunteer emergency workforce, and getting young people to step up, is

a key challenge.

The Rudd Government's call for the public to become more resilient

needs more than eloquent words. People will respond confidently only

if they are engaged in a genuine and trusting manner, built on a

need-to-share rather than the present need-to-know approach.

Dr Bergin is the co-author of Taking A Punch: Building A More

Resilient Australia, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, 2008.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/theres-a-storm-bigger-than-terrorism/2008/09/\

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