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Objective of the Bill

The primary objective of the Bill is to create a new Cabinet committee called the Queensland Disaster Management Committee to replace the State Disaster Management Group and the Disaster Management Cabinet Committee.

Other Information

The Disaster Management Amendment Bill 2014 and Explanatory Notes are available from the Office of the Queensland Parliamentary Counsel at www.legislation.qld.gov.au.

The Hansard transcript of the explanatory speech for the Bill can be accessed here.

Reasons for the Bill

Disaster Management in Queensland is governed through disaster management groups and committees.  The Disaster Management Act 2003 establishes disaster management groups and outlines their planning requirements at the local, district and State level.  At the State level, the Act creates the State Disaster Management Group (SDMG) which is responsible for a range of high-level disaster management functions.

Committees involved in disaster management may range from Cabinet committees, such as the Disaster Management Cabinet Committee (DMCC), to committees that assist a local disaster management group.  In particular, the DMCC was formed after the 2011 South-East Queensland floods to provide high-level governance of Queensland’s disaster management arrangements.

During 2014, a disaster management advisory group, chaired by the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, examined the governance of disaster management in Queensland.  The disaster management advisory group specifically focussed on the interplay of the SDMG and the DMCC.

The disaster management advisory group found that improvements to disaster management governance would be achieved by creating a new Cabinet committee called the Queensland Disaster Management Committee (QDMC).  The QDMC will replace the DMCC and SDMG and formally allow direct Ministerial participation in the strategic management of disaster events.

Formation of the QDMC will simplify Queensland’s disaster management structure by reducing one layer of governance and allow a direct line of communication between the QDMC and the State Disaster Coordinator and State Recovery Coordinator.  This would result in faster and better-informed decision-making during a disaster event.

Referral

On 9 September 2014 the Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services, the Hon. Jack Dempsey MP, introduced the Disaster Management Amendment Bill 2014 into the Queensland Parliament.  In accordance with Standing Order 131 of the Standing Rules and Orders of the Legislative Assembly, the Bill was referred to the Legal Affairs and Community Safety Committee (the Committee) for detailed consideration.

By resolution of the Committee of the Legislative Assembly, the Committee is required to report to the Parliament by Thursday, 9 October 2014.

Report

On 9 October 2014, the Committee tabled its Report No. 76, Disaster Management Amendment Bill 2014. A copy of the report is available here or can be accessed at Related Publications.

As the Committee made a single recommendation for the Legislative Assembly to pass the Bill, there is no requirement for the Government to table a response.

The Disaster Management Amendment Bill 2014 was passed, with amendment, by the Legislative Assembly on 14 October 2014.

Call for Submissions

Guidelines on how to make a submission are available here.

Submissions closed on Friday, 19 September 2014.