13 Mar In the Face of Fire: Disaster Management in Australia
Written by Aysha Jennath
Edited by Sofia Juliet Rajan
If the first leg of the Indo-Pacific Cooperation Network fellowship was about preparedness and making new connections, the second chapter was rekindling connections while diving into newer disasters, particularly bushfires. I spent this part of the fellowship in Australia, exploring how the Land Down Under handles disasters.
AIIA National Conference
After reconnecting over a delightful dinner with familiar faces, we kicked off the itinerary with the AIIA National Conference. It was an impressive gathering of professionals in international relations and diplomacy, featuring dignitaries like Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Dr. Jim Chalmers MP and Senator Simon Birmingham. The conference illustrated how climate change and disaster management intersect with diplomacy subtly woven into the backdrop. I juxtaposed it with COP29 negotiations happening in Baku at the same time, where climate considerations and diplomacy were also playing out.
A standout session was the Pacific Possibilities panel, featuring exceptional voices from the Pacific region, such as Jon Apted, Maualaivau Maima Koro, Samoan High Chief, and Salote Tagivakatini, lawyer and former Fijian diplomat. The discussions shed light on Australia’s transactional history in the region, a stance now being reevaluated with the emergence of China as a significant regional player. This has caused a shift from viewing the Pacific as a “backyard” to a “family” in recent policy dialogues. The Pacific delegates discussed strained ties, the nature of aid, and existential threats posed by climate change. The Pacific Australia Labour Migration (PALM) scheme was also discussed—while marketed as a developmental tool for the Pacific, it underplays the benefits labour migrants bring to Australia and the exploitation of these workers, which matched what we see in urban migrant destinations like Bengaluru and Ernakulam.
Into the field
We then travelled across the country to learn about Australia’s disaster management system, especially how they tackle bushfires*, a major hazard in Australia. Our first visits were to federal agencies in Canberra, including the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), who shared perspectives on international and national disaster management systems. An interesting tidbit was how Australia remains hesitant about welcoming foreign aid workers, even from nations like Japan, highlighting the complexities of disaster diplomacy. DFAT and NEMA talks also discussed how long-standing collaborations between Australia, the US and Canada to manage wildfires, worked well historically due to non-overlapping fire seasons. This is now under strain as climate change extends wildfire seasons.
At Thirlmere Lakes, we met Daniel, an Indigenous Australian, who introduced us to the practice of cultural burning, an age-old tradition to encourage new growth and mitigate the risk of high-intensity fires. This practice requires a deep understanding of nature—reading wind conditions, heat levels, and soil moisture—to execute it safely and effectively. Unfortunately, while cultural burning was once a regularly practised, modern restrictions have curtailed it now.
“What we need is the space and the leniency to continue our practice. If we had been allowed to do that, the Black Summer fires wouldn’t have been so devastating.”
Daniel’s experience mirrored the larger pattern of cultural erasure of Indigenous knowledge in many nations. While there is a demand for his knowledge, it comes with caveats.
“[They] want the knowledge, the practice and the ways. But they don’t want to respect the people. The people will be left behind.”
Yet, Daniel and his team are committed to preserving and teaching this knowledge. The experience sparked deep conversations amongst the Fellows, especially in the backdrop of the Maori protest in neighbouring New Zealand, highlighting the struggles the Indigenous communities still face.
We also met volunteer firefighters from the New South Wales Rural Fire Service in Buxton to understand fire management at the local level and heard their accounts of battling the catastrophic Black Summer bushfires. Their stories highlighted the immense challenges and risks involved in containing fires of such unprecedented scale, especially its toll on mental health. Although there is support provided for the firemen, some older firemen talked about how they don’t seek such services, often due to internalised stigma.
We then had a session with WIRES Rescue, where we saw the sobering statistics on wildlife fatalities and discussed how even with successful rescues, the chances of survival are often slim due to habitat destruction, demonstrating the broader ecological consequences of bushfires. The mostly women volunteers talked about the emotional and physical strain of caring for multiple orphaned animals, while balancing their own personal and professional responsibilities. As a pet parent, I sincerely appreciated their efforts but more than that, their stories exposed me to a side of disaster response that deserves far more attention
The culture of volunteerism in Australia stands out—it was surprising to me how the disaster management system was heavily reliant on volunteers. Volunteer firefighters often juggle full-time jobs and other commitments and get no monetary compensation. Their ability to serve relies heavily on the support of empathetic employers and understanding families. This system worked for a sparsely populated country like Australia, where a huge cadre of paid staff may be unnecessary. But growing challenges such as intensifying bushfires, the cost-of-living crisis, and rural population decline exacerbate the strain on an already shrinking pool of volunteers, many of whom are also ageing. There are also other models being considered such as a compensation model akin to the Army Reserve, offering medical benefits, tax incentives, and financial support to volunteers, which might help ease the burden.
Looking Forward
Our trip concluded with a memorable dinner at the Sydney Opera House, featuring local delicacies like kangaroo steak and breathtaking views of this iconic landmark. This leg of the fellowship brought our cohort closer, fostering a safe space for open dialogue and diverse perspectives. Familiarity with each other’s work and passions sparked discussions on collaboration and many of us reflected on the larger opportunities IPCN has created. When we parted, it left me with the realisation that while fellowship will end soon the network is slowly achieving its goal of building connections and the journey has been transformative for all of us.