Being one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse countries in the world, Australia is recognising the importance of equal access to services and information for all people, regardless of background.

It is therefore imperative that the emergency management sector is proactive in developing strategies and policies for working with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities. The purpose of these guidelines is to assist the sector to work proactively with local CALD groups, thereby creating a safer, more sustainable community.

The original set of Guidelines for Emergency Management in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities arose out of a workshop conducted in March 2001 by Emergency Management Australia (EMA) in partnership with the then National Police Ethnic Advisory Bureau and Kangan Batman TAFE. A writing team pursued their development and a significant consultation process was undertaken with State and Territory emergency management agencies.

A review of the guidelines arose out of the Security Summit on 27 September 2005, where the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) noted the importance of a consistent and co-ordinated response by Commonwealth, State, Territory and Local Government at the onset of any national emergency.

All jurisdictions that attended the summit reported on proposed initiatives aimed at strengthening links with Australian communities and promoting tolerance and understanding.

The Australian Government, through the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) provided funds to the Attorney-General's Department to undertake a number of initiatives. These initiatives are aimed at helping communities to prepare for, respond to, and assist recovery from incidents, crises and other emergencies in Australia.

EMA is one of the divisions within the Attorney-General's Department that has been given the responsibility for a number of these initiatives. One of these initiatives was for EMA to bring together relevant emergency management personnel and community leaders to participate in a National Workshop at Mt Macedon in May 2006.

The purpose of this workshop was to review the guidelines, taking into account changes in both Australia’s emergency management policies and practices and its demographic profile. The draft guidelines were then disseminated for comment.

The new set of guidelines is expected to be a useful resource for emergency management agencies, including planning committees when engaging with diverse community groups.

I commend these guidelines to you.

Tony Pearce
Director General
Emergency Managment Australia
June 2007

Download the Guidelines for Emergency Management in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities as a PDF file (1 MB)

These Guidelines are number 44 in the Australian Emergency Management series.