New Funding for National Emergency Services
30 July 2007 at 4:03 pm
Local communities and emergency services volunteers across Australia will share a $13.8 million funding boost in the latest round of the Australian Government’s Working Together to Manage Emergencies initiative.
Some 423 projects that will receive grants designed to develop self-reliance at both the community and local government levels.
There are 500,000 Australians who volunteer in an emergency management capacity, with 350,000 directly involved in emergency first response, principally through the various rural fire services and State Emergency Service agencies.
Funding was allocated through the Local Grants Scheme and the National Emergency Volunteer Support Fund administered by Emergency Management Australia.
More than 1250 projects have now been funded through the Working Together to Manage Emergencies initiative and include:
– $16 million over four years to the National Emergency Volunteer Support
Fund to boost the recruitment, retention, skills and training of volunteer organisations
– $30 million over four years to the Local Grants Scheme to assist local councils to develop and implement emergency risk management initiatives, identify vulnerabilities, enhance protective measures for critical infrastructure and provide emergency management and security awareness training for staff.
The projects nationally and state by state involve emergency service groups from life savers, SES, police, ambulance and Red Cross volunteers.
Details of the types of projects funded can be found on the EMA website www.ema.gov.au/communitydevelopment
