Federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland is calling on governments and the private sector to work together on disaster management.

Speaking at the National Flood Forum in Brisbane last week, Mr McClelland said the National Strategy for Disaster Resilience calls for governments to do more “identifying, assessing and understanding priority areas of risk”.

“(The strategy) emphasises that governments alone cannot improve resilience and this is a shared responsibility across individuals, households, businesses, governments and communities,” he said. 

“We all have a part to play in recognising the potential for natural disasters to occur and being prepared to deal with them. 

“This includes the private sector, which has an important role in developing new and creative ways to mitigate disaster risk.”

Mr McClelland says the forum’s role – to focus on new and emerging technologies for managing floods – should include identifying best practice examples of flood prevention, preparedness, response and recovery programs for flood-prone areas.

The forum should establish a methodology for the national assessment of new and emerging technologies across all areas of emergency management. 

“This forum is also presents an opportunity for all levels of government to develop a co-ordinated and systematic approach to identifying ways these technologies can assist across the areas of prevention, preparedness, response and recovery of emergency management.”