Remote Indigenous communities welcome two-way training

Hazard Note 50 details a unique project that has developed a pilot program for natural hazards training in Indigenous northern Australia. With national significance, the Northern Australia bushfire and natural hazard training project has highlighted the need for greater awareness of the profound cultural differences between bureaucracies and Indigenous people, and the desire by communities to have non-Indigenous emergency management training that builds on Indigenous knowledge and delivery of hazard management practices. This includes respecting and observing cultural arrangements, such as following local structures for decision making and the inclusion of family in the training, as well as the inclusion of the understanding and practices of Indigenous people. It suggests that dialogue about those differences can lead to better outcomes for resilience development.

Further reading

Gould J, Sithole B, Campbell A, James G and Sutton S, (2014) Building community resilience to natural hazards in Northern Australia, Research proceedings at the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC & AFAC Conference, Wellington, New Zealand

Sithole B, (2012) The ARPNet Dilly Bag: A Practical Field Guide to Participatory and Other Research Tools for Use by Aboriginal Research Practitioners in Australia. ARPNet at RIEL, Charles Darwin University

Sithole B, Hunter-xenie H, Yibarbuk D, Daniels C, Daniels G, Campion O, Narmarnyilk S, Narorroga E, Dann O, Dirdi K, Nayilibibj G, Phillips E, Daniels K, Daniels G, Turner H, Daniels CA, Daniels T, Thomas P, Thomas D, Rami T and Brown C, (2017). Living with Widdijith – protocols for building community resilience. pp. 268- 88 in Disaster Resilience: An Integrated Approach (2nd Ed.), Paton D and Johnston D eds. Springfield Illinois: Charles C Thomas