Australian bushfires: state of emergency explained

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/22/australian-bushfires-state-of-emergency-explained

Version 0 of 1.

The declaration of a state of emergency is rare in Australia. According to the Australian Emergency Management Institute, the October bushfires in New South Wales mark only the third time a state of emergency has been called in Australia since 2006. In that time period there have been nearly 100 “disaster events”, as classified by the attorney general’s office.

So what governs the decision to call a state of emergency, and what powers does the state premier assume in calling one?

Powers

State emergency legislation varies from state to state. In NSW, where the October bushfires are burning, a state of emergency is declared under the State Emergency and Rescue Management Act of 1989.

The declaration triggers a broad range of measures. On Sunday the NSW emergency services minister, Michael Gallagher, drew the public's attention to a number of powers assumed. These include:

allowing emergency services personnel to direct the public to evacuate an area or not enter an area.

to order power and gas supplies to be shut off.

to shore up or pull down buildings.

to enter premises to facilitate the exercise of these powers.

It is an offence to obstruct emergency personnel.

On announcing the state of emergency the NSW premier, Barry O’Farrell, said it was “not an action taken lightly … but it’s important the rural fire service and other emergency services have the powers and the resources they need to combat this threat”.

Why is a state of emergency called?

The other two states of emergency called since 2006 were both last year; the Queensland floods of January and the NSW floods in March. Other major disasters in recent years, including the 2009 black Saturday bushfires in Victoria, did not result in a state of emergency being called.

Professor Jim McLennan, an expert in emergency management and decision making at La Trobe University, says it is the length of time a disaster is expected to last, as well as its severity, that results in a state of emergency being called.

“Unlike Black Saturday which, as an ongoing threatening situation, was over in 24 hours – this particular emergency is now into its sixth day, and it’s likely to continue,” he said.

“This brings in issues of logistics. Most emergency response facilities are set up for a 24- to 48-hour sort of situation.

“Extraordinary powers are judged to be needed, for road closures, restriction of areas to members of the public – those kinds of things which over an extended period of time have to managed rather than left to the judgment of citizens.”

Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning.