The AEMVF, ably supported by the Attorney General’s Department, and the Australian Tax Office, staged the third Emergency Management Volunteers Summit in Canberra on 30-31 May. The themes were “Partnerships, Experiences, Solutions,” and the slogan was: “The Future is in our Hands”. The Summit was part of Australia’s contribution to the United Nations declared International Year of the Volunteer +10, and was the third conducted in Australia, the others being in 2001 and 2005.

The Summit was opened by Her Excellency; the Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia the Hon Quentin Bryce AC, and the Attorney-General, the Hon Robert McClelland opened proceedings. There were 400 attendees, with 80% being volunteers and the remainder, their managers. 22 scholarships were provided to remote and indigenous volunteers. There were no registration fees, and the travel and accommodation were covered for almost all attendees by their parent organizations. A highlight was a dinner held at Parliament House at which Stuart Diver, the survivor of the Thredbo landslide, spoke of his experiences.

The AEMVF obtained funds for the Summit from the National Emergency Management Projects program and appointed a Steering Group, to which two young volunteers were added, due to the wish to focus on youth. The Attorney-General’s Department appointed a small management team and a private company, Conference Logistics, was engaged to handle the administration.

The main presentations traced the development of the volunteer emergency management sector from its beginnings at the 2001 Summit until today, and highlighted the formation and work of the AEMVF. Current issues were explored and some key ideas were presented on how the sector may need to change to meet the challenges of the future. There were presentations on how to engage young volunteer and those from CALD backgrounds. Volunteers were given the opportunity to speak about their own experiences and there was plenty of time for discussion of all topics.

For the first time, social media were included to allow out-of-session activity and to encourage the creation of alliances.

Initial feedback has been that the Summit has been a resounding success. A report will be provided shortly, with details to be available on this website.

Thanks to all those who helped to make the Summit such a great success.

Your Steering Group.