States oppose bigger federal role in emergency management

State and Territory governments say they oppose the Commonwealth being referred additional powers to deal with or respond to natural disasters.

The near unanimous view
emerged in submissions to the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster
Arrangements made public last week.

In its inquiry submission, the WA Government said: “The concept of a ‘national natural disaster’ in the context of a continent the scale of Australia is challenging to imagine.

“Further, the
declaration of a national natural disaster by the Commonwealth would present as
problematic and extremely concerning from WA’s perspective.”

The Queensland
Government’s submission said that while Commonwealth coordination of national
initiatives was desirable, a proliferation of responsible bodies at the state
and national level presented a significant risk of overlap, confusion and
wasted resources.

“Queensland’s preliminary assessment of any potential
new powers for the Commonwealth government (including to declare a state of
national emergency) suggests this approach has the potential to undermine
Queensland’s well-established and proven approach to disaster management [based
on building and support local community capability].”

The Victoria Government’s opening submission said there was
no need for additional Commonwealth powers, although there was an increasing
support role for it to play.

“The Commonwealth can provide invaluable assistance
without the need for new powers,” the   submission said.

“Victoria should retain clear powers and
responsibilities for the management of natural disasters. Any proposed
Commonwealth role or powers should complement, and not compromise, Victoria’s
existing emergency management framework.”

Tasmania backed the federal government getting the power to
declare a state of national emergency, but not any referral of powers in
relation to the response to natural disasters.

NSW said the states must retain operational responsibility
for responding to natural disasters in their jurisdiction, including the
tasking and deployment of resources.

“Any Commonwealth agency efforts should be targeted at
supporting states and territories’ lead role in emergency response and driving
local recovery operations,” NSW said.

South Australia said it preferred to maintain the existing
arrangements where the state leads planning, co-ordination, and operations to
help local communities recover from disasters, in line with nationally agreed
principles and policy.