The Albanese Government continues to support all Australian communities to prepare for, respond to and recover from severe weather events.
New national resources are now available to help Australia’s multicultural communities build resilience to severe weather events.
Videos, fact sheets, posters and digital resources have been developed to provide critical natural hazard preparedness information in 10 languages for members of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities.
The project was funded by the Albanese Government through the Disaster Risk Reduction Package and led by Get Ready Queensland in consultation with jurisdictions across Australia.
CALD communities now have access to a range of practical information about Australia’s seven most common natural hazards: bushfires, floods, cyclones, storms, heatwaves, earthquakes, and tsunamis.
Resources have been translated into Arabic, Cantonese, Dari, Korean, Mandarin, Nepali, Punjabi, Spanish, Thai, and Vietnamese, and are also available in complementary Easy Read formats for people with low literacy.
The resources will help more people in Australia understand risk and prepare for disasters, improving public safety in times of crisis.
A toolkit has also been developed to help stakeholders effectively use, adapt, promote and distribute the videos and other resources throughout CALD communities.
Extensive consultation and a co-creation approach shaped the project, with input received from 155 native-speaking community members via 16 face-to-face workshops held nationally, and from targeted community, government and sector advisory groups.
The new natural hazards resources for CALD communities are available at getready.gov.au/languages.
They are being released ahead of the upcoming higher risk weather season.
The National Emergency Management Agency will host its annual National Preparedness Summit in Canberra this week.
Emergency management representatives from across the country will come together for key briefings and a national preparedness exercise, informed by the Bureau of Meteorology’s forecast for the upcoming season.
The Albanese Government is providing more than $8 million through Round Three of the flagship Disaster Ready Fund to establish the National Get Ready program to support community preparedness across Australia.
This will support all jurisdictions to deliver consistent, locally tailored Get Ready campaigns to help their communities prepare for natural disasters.
The new natural hazards resources for CALD communities are available at getready.gov.au/languages
Quotes attributable to Minister for Emergency Management Kristy McBain:
“We know people who are prepared for disaster events bounce back faster.
“For members of CALD communities, overcoming language barriers is a huge step forward when it comes to disaster risk awareness and staying safe in emergencies.
“These resources are designed to make practical hazard preparedness information easier to understand, share and act on for more Australians.
“This is part of our government’s commitment to helping all Australians get ready for disasters.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Multicultural Affairs Dr Anne Aly:
“Everyone deserves access to information that helps them prepare for and respond to emergencies, regardless of the language they speak at home.
“I encourage everyone to share these resources across their communities, whether by sending them to friends and family or displaying them in community spaces.
“It’s incredibly important that everyone understands what to do when faced with a severe weather event.”
Quotes attributable to Queensland Minister for Disaster Recovery Ann Leahy:
“Get Ready Queensland has been helping our state prepare for severe weather since 2013, and we’re eager to share that knowledge Australia-wide.
“We live in a culturally and linguistically diverse country, and it’s important everyone understands the different types of severe weather we face and what they can do to prepare.
“This important CALD project will help some of our most vulnerable communities when they need it most.”
THE HON KRISTY MCBAIN MP
FEDERAL MINISTER FOR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
THE HON DR ANNE ALY MP
FEDERAL MINISTER FOR MULTICULTURAL AFFAIRS
THE HON ANN LEAHY MP
MINISTER FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND WATER
MINISTER FOR FIRE, DISASTER RECOVERY AND VOLUNTEERS
