During National Reconciliation Week, Natural Hazards Research Australia, the North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA) and the Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporation (CLCAC) hosted a workshop as part of the Local Government Association of Queensland's Disaster Management Conference.
The workshop, held in Brisbane on Wednesday 31 May, brought together a panel to discuss different ways to involve and empower First Nations people in building integrated approaches to disaster management and community disaster resilience in Queensland, and the role that research can play in enabling and supporting this.
Speakers included:
- Ricky Archer, NAILSMA CEO
- Rachel Admini-Yanner, CLCAC CEO
- Kevin Anderson, CLCAC natural resource management support officer
- Murrandoo Yanner Jnr, CLCAC Indigenous ranger
- Joanne Greenfield, A/Deputy Commissioner of Queensland Fire and Emergency Services
- Andrew Gissing, Natural Hazards Research Australia CEO.
Speaking about what disaster resilience means to First Nations community members in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Murrandoo Yanner Jnr highlighted the value gained when First Nations knowledge of Country is involved in disaster management.
“They know the river systems. They know the area, as they have been living in it for thousands of years. That knowledge is very valuable and should be included,” he said.
“Their resilience is how they have managed to cope for thousands of years in the same region that they’re still living in today. Indigenous input being included in disaster management plans is an important factor to consider moving forward."
The need for and value of ‘knowledge weaving’ between Western science and First Nations knowledge systems is recognised across many levels within Australia’s land and sea management programs but is a significant area for improvement.
Natural Hazards Research Australia CEO Andrew Gissing, who facilitated the panel, emphasised the importance of empowering First Nations knowledges as part of strengthening the resilience of our communities and landscapes.
“A key part of building resilience and reducing the risk of natural hazards on our communities has to come from a trust in the knowledges and practices of First Nations peoples,” he said.
“This is forged through a respectful recognition that First Nations peoples have been protecting and caring for the landscapes and communities that we all live, work, learn and conduct research on for tens of thousands of years.”
Workshop speakers and participants discussed the recent Burketown flood and the experiences of Indigenous Ranger Groups and Land Council in supporting their community to respond, local First Nations knowledge and situational awareness that can strengthen disaster planning and preparedness, and existing governance structures and relationships with Traditional Owner groups that can empower relief and recovery.
“Despite very different ways of viewing hazards, risk and land management, First Nations peoples and the emergency management sector share the same ultimate vision and goal of resilient communities and landscapes,” said Nicola Moore, Natural Hazards Research Australia’s Node Research Manager for Queensland and Northern Territory, who convened the workshop.
“There is much we can learn from the First Nations ways of seeing and knowing the world around us. It is a priority to combine traditional and Western knowledge and work together to be effective custodians of the land and reduce the risks posed by natural hazards.”
Learn more about the Local Government Association of Queensland's Disaster Management Conference here.