Journal focuses on mental health and diversity

The January 2019 edition of the Australian Journal of Emergency Management is available online now. This edition includes several articles from CRC research. 

Diversity and the importance of people is the focus of CRC research. The project, Diversity and Inclusion: building strength and capability, revealed that communities want to engage more with organisations but felt that the skills and capabilities they offer were not understood. With the first phase of understanding the context complete, the project will now build upon the draft framework using the implementation process developed in the first phase. Researchers will also be mapping community capabilities and undertaking economic case studies of two programs.

In partnership with the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC, Beyond Blue has pioneered Australian research into the mental health and wellbeing of police and emergency services staff. A survey was conducted on nine themes, interviewing more than 21,000 people from across 33 agencies. The research has established a national measurement baseline and has given agencies and stakeholders clear evidence to underpin and drive action.

A journal article written by Dr Bevyline Sithole, Otto Bulmaniya Campion and Hmalan Hunter-Xẽniẽ is looking into communities in central Arnhem Land who are using participatory-action research tools to talk about what it would take to ensure the survival of people facing significant hazards. These communities have identified and made suggestions for what an inclusive community-led process would look like as an emergency management framework. This research paper identifies key elements providing direction on how communities and governments can work together.

‘As we head to the coast, either in Australia or overseas, be tsunami-aware’ writes Dr Jane Sexton. Her article on her trip to the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction in Sendai, eight years after the Japanese earthquake, focuses on lessons learnt and the future of this form of emergency management in Australia.

You can access the entire edition for free. If you would prefer to receive the free email alert for the online edition so that you don’t miss out, subscribe to email alerts. 

The Australian Journal of Emergency Management is published by the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience.