Australian Government: Attorney-General's Department
Australian Government: Attorney-General's DepartmentAchieving a Just and Secure Society

Standing Council on Police and Emergency Management

On 13 February 2011 the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) announced a new Council System, comprising 12 new Standing Councils, including the Standing Council on Police and Emergency Management, five legislative forums, and six time-limited Select Councils. The decision was made in response to recommendations contained in Dr Allan Hawke’s Review of Ministerial Councils.

The Standing Council on Police and Emergency Management (SCPEM) aims to promote a coordinated national response to law enforcement and emergency management issues. It replaces two previously separate councils, the Ministerial Council on Police and Emergency Management - Police (MCPEMP) and the Ministerial Council on Police and Emergency Management – Emergency Management (MCPEM-EM).

SCPEM will provide a framework for cooperation and shared strategic directions for the policing and emergency services of Australia and New Zealand. SCPEM will also encourage and share best practice in police policy and operations, and in emergency management across jurisdictions.

SCPEM Responsibilities

  • law enforcement such as police powers, criminal offences and the sharing of intelligence;
  • advancement of the professionalism of policing;
  • national leadership on emergency management (all hazards) and disaster resilience, including national policies and priorities; and
  • consideration of an annual Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment presented by the Chair of the Australian Crime Commission Board.

SCPEM also has responsibility for the following bodies:

SCPEM Priority Issues

  1. Progressing the National Response to Organised Crime, including illicit drugs;
  2. Progressing a national reponse to cyber crime;
  3. Improving cross-jurisdictional law enforcement cooperation and planning, including law enforcement systems;
  4. Coordinating national initiatives to address alcohol, public safety and serious crime, including alcohol-fuelled violence, road safety and child protection;
  5. Increasing the resilience of individuals and communities to the impacts of disasters by undertaking and supporting initiatives that are designed to encourage all sectors of the Australian community to take responsibility for mitigating the effects of disasters, including implementation of the National Strategy for Disaster Resilience; and
  6. Consideration of recommendations of national interest from significant commissions of inquiry into natural disasters, including inquiries into the recent floods in Queensland and Victoria and bushfires in Western Australia.

The work of the Inter-Governmental Committee of the Australian Crime Commission (IGC-ACC) will transition to SCPEM, following required legislative amendments. COAG has agreed to allow five years for required amendments to be enacted. For more information on the IGC-ACC, please visit the Inter-Governmental Committee of the Australian Crime Commission website.

Composition and Chairing Arrangements

SCPEM has a rotating chair and comprises ministers responsible for Police and Emergency Management from the Commonwealth, States and Territories, the Australian Local Government Association and New Zealand.

SCPEM will be hosted and chaired by Victoria in 2012.

Frequency of Meetings

SCPEM has two scheduled meetings per year. Special meetings on subjects of high sensitivity and/or urgency are called as required. Some SCPEM business is also handled out-of-session.

Secretariat Arrangements

The Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department provides the Secretariat for SCPEM. The Secretariat can be contacted on the details below:

SCPEM Secretariat
Attorney-General’s Department
3-5 National Cct
BARTON ACT 2600
E: scpemsecretariat@ag.gov.au
Policing inquiries - P: (02) 6141-2753 F: (02) 6141-2871
Emergency management inquiries - P: (02) 6141 -2784 F: (02) 6141 2873

Associated Meetings of Officials

SCPEM is supported by two senior official committees - National Policing Senior Officers Group and the National Emergency Management Committee.

National Policing Senior Officer Group

The National Policing Senior Officers Group (NP-SOG) meets at least twice per year prior to the SCPEM meetings. NP-SOG is comprised of:

  • the Police Commissioners of the States and Territories, New Zealand and the Australian Federal Police,
  • the Secretary of the Victorian Department of Justice,
  • the Chief Executive Officer of the NSW Ministry of Police,
  • the Director-General of the ACT Department of Justice and Community Safety,
  • the ACT Chief Police Officer,
  • the Chief Executive Officer of the SA Attorney-General's Department and Department of Justice,
  • the Deputy Secretary, National Security and Criminal Justice Group, Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department, and
  • The Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Crime Commission.

National Emergency Management Committee

The National Emergency Management Committee (NEMC) is Australia's national consultative emergency management forum, and works to strengthen the nation’s disaster resilience by providing strategic leadership on nation-wide emergency management policy.

The NEMC is also the senior officials’ body supporting the Standing Council on Police and Emergency Management (SCPEM) on emergency management issues.

The NEMC meets twice yearly, and holds additional meetings as required to provide advice and direction on national strategic emergency management issues. The NEMC has been tasked by COAG to implement the National Strategy for Disaster Resilience.

The NEMC is co-chaired by the Secretary, Attorney-General’s Department and the Deputy National Security Adviser, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Membership of the NEMC comprises two senior representatives from the Commonwealth, State and Territory governments and a representative from the Australian Local Government Association. A senior official from the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management, New Zealand participates in NEMC meetings as an observer.

The NEMC has four sub-committees:

  • Capability Development Sub-committee
  • Community Engagement Sub-committee
  • Recovery Sub-committee, and
  • Risk Assessment, Measurement and Mitigation Sub-committee