The National Indigenous Disaster Resilience Summit was held on 21 August at Victoria Park in Meanjin/Brisbane on the lands of the Turrbal and Yuggera people, with the aim of giving Indigenous people a voice in decision-making processes about disaster management and planning.
The first event of its kind, the Summit was a sold-out success dedicated to listening to Indigenous experts, emergency management practitioners, community leaders, organisations, non-government representatives and researchers from across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, and connecting them with people from allied fields.
The Summit was organised by Bhiamie Williamson and Dr Emma McNichol from the National Indigenous Disaster Resilience program at Monash University’s Fire to Flourish, supported by Natural Hazards Research Australia, the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience, Bigibilla Indigenous Consultants and Jagun Alliance.
“The Summit came from a need to find Indigenous people working in disaster resilience and emergency management sectors, to try and bring these communities of people together, share and learn from Indigenous experiences in disasters and set an agenda for change,” Bhiamie said.
“There’s an opportunity for immense learning and this is the only forum dedicated to finding those voices.”
The Centre sponsored several Indigenous researchers to attend, while several Centre staff also attended to make connections, learn from Indigenous peoples and document the event.
A key focus of the presentations was Indigenous inclusivity in disaster management and how this inclusion benefits the whole community and the land, not just Indigenous peoples. Despite this, Indigenous peoples are not included in national policies and frameworks that guide disaster arrangements and emergency management in Australia, as summarised in Bhiamie’s presentation of research findings on this topic.
“Whole-of-community responses being led by Indigenous peoples are naturally inclusive of children and babies, people with disability and people with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, all accounted for and made to feel safe,” he said.
“But the current policies and frameworks that guide Australia’s disaster arrangements make Indigenous people invisible.”
Attendees also heard from Indigenous community leaders about what can be learned from their communities’ unique experiences before, during and after natural hazard emergencies. Tammy Bundle, former CEO of Moogji Aboriginal Council East Gippsland presented community reflections on the 2019-20 bushfires in far-east Gippsland, Victoria, and why Indigenous leadership in disaster management is so important.
“It is absolutely critical for Aboriginal people to have leadership roles in emergency management,” Tammy said.
“We are connected to our communities, we know how to communicate with them, how to change the messaging if needed, how to keep everyone safe, how to follow up when they leave Country. This all helps lessen the traumatising experiences for everyone.”
Murrandoo Yanner Jnr, head ranger at Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporation, shared experiences of helping his community during the floods in March, highlighting the benefits of Indigenous inclusion in disaster resilience to create resilient communities and landscapes.
“Local mob have been in their areas for thousands of years. They know how disasters happen and how to stay safe,” Murrandoo said.
“We’ve lived through ice ages, giant floods, cyclones and everything with a lot less resources, and we’re still here. Now we have a lot more resources. If we infuse that traditional knowledge with modern technology, we can do wonders.”
Other speakers presented existing initiatives that are helping Indigenous peoples get back on Country to heal the land and communities and how policy changes can help strengthen these connections. Sam Savage, the northern Queensland emergency services regional coordinator at Australian Red Cross, spoke of the types of changes that can be made today to improve disaster resilience in future.
“This Summit really highlighted that relationships are good, but policy changes are very much needed,” Sam said. “It’s an opportunity for society today to make that change. Change will happen at a policy and legislative level to formalise the informal.”
The Summit also invited and showcased the next generation of Indigenous researchers in the community and how they are contributing to a safer, healthier and more resilient Australia for everyone. Amba-Rose Atkinson, a PhD student at the University of Queensland, wants to decolonise the way we perceive health and wellbeing.
“I’m trying to reposition Country-as-health and build an evidence base to change the way we perceive health and wellbeing as Country,” Amba-Rose said.
“In an Indigenous worldview, our spiritual and collective health and wellbeing are intricately linked to the health of our land and whether we feel safe and that our human rights are being upheld. I want to position Indigenous solutions as powerful solution-oriented forces, which they are, but this is not often recognised in response to environmental, climate and health crises.”
The Summit closed with a discussion about urgent solutions and investment opportunities to strengthen Indigenous disaster resilience and help the lands and communities across Australia heal from past and impending natural hazards, including a new community of practice and follow-up events.
Find out more about the Summit and how to get involved in the National Indigenous Disaster Resilience program here.