Category: Leadership & Strategy

We have a need to work better, together.
One of the most widely acknowledged opportunities for growing resilience, recognised across South East NSW by residents, businesses, community groups, service agencies and organisations as well as government representatives, is the need for improved:

• connection
• collaboration
• coordination.
  These things are not necessarily easy or time efficient, but they are valuable and
  necessary.

Deloitte Access Economics (2022) models the total economic costs of disasters in NSW from 2020-2060 to be between $320-$391 billion, depending on emissions scenarios. Even in a low emissions scenario, which we are not on track to achieve, this is a cost to NSW that is unsustainable.

Supplementing our emergency services capabilities and equipment to respond is one option, but this does not deal with the root causes of our disaster risks. We also need to focus on knowing and understanding our risks and doing something about them whilst we can, before circumstances and conditions overtake that ability.

How we grow resilience to climate-driven disaster risk is not only one of the defining challenges of our time, but one of our greatest opportunities.

Climate-related risks are testing our emergency management and recovery systems and processes. Our resources are being stretched and the management of these resources requires re-focus to deal with tomorrow’s challenges.

We also know the duration of recovery processes is long, if ever in some cases. A greater understanding of communities in trauma is needed. Recovery support is required for longer, and requires coordination and collaboration in a manner that respects and integrates locally-led solutions.