Kindness is not enough: Australia needs a strategic national response to the bushfires
27 January 2020
Published by https://www.theguardian.com/
AUSTRALIA – People are magnificent. They rescue our wildlife, defend our homes and towns, stare down fires against insuperable odds. And then they give money, often that they don’t have – to firefighters, aid agencies, the bereaved, the homeless, and animal hospitals.
So much giving and yet, despite it all, I can’t quieten the alarm bells in my head. Will these good intentions have good outcomes? Do we know what we are doing, as we rush to help? Can we ensure this kindness, this magnificent largesse, will truly make a difference?
The bushfires are a historic catastrophe of global proportions. We all know the horrifying statistics: the tragic loss of at least 33 lives, 7.7m hectares burnt, more than 1 billion animals lost, over 2,000 homes destroyed, the shocking loss – the koalas, forests of eucalypts, wallabies, kangaroos, cockatoos, bee colonies and so much more.
There is a deep body of knowledge internationally on how to best manage a national emergency, to ensure that resources are allocated based on need, fairly, effectively and accountably. I learnt about this first-hand in the dust and devastation of Nepal, working with our team during the 2015 earthquakes. These earthquakes destroyed large swathes of Kathmandu and the eastern regions of Nepal. They saw nearly 9,000 people killed, nearly 22,000 people injured, and more than 600,000 homes destroyed.
I watched in awe at the collaboration that was on display every day as we attended “cluster meetings” to determine how to deliver shelter, food and medical treatment; how to provide for vulnerable women and children. I saw activists working with the military; community groups agreeing on who would do what, when and where; businesses making decisions after sitting with those who were delivering the services; data collected from the frontline shared every night to inform collective decision making.
And when the rebuilding began, there was agreement among the key players as to the what, how, when and where to lift the country back to its feet.
Never did I think we might have need of the same process in Australia.
International organisations that have experience in disaster recovery understand the four key humanitarian principles for emergencies adopted by the UN general assembly. These may not be familiar to many here, yet they are extremely helpful in guiding decision-making for effective resource allocation.
The four guiding principles are humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence. The humanity principle means that everyone shall be treated humanely and equally. The neutrality principle means support must be given in an impartial and independent manner. The impartiality principle speaks to the concept of non-discrimination on the basis of nationality, race, gender, religion, political opinion or class. Critically, this principle provides that support must be based on need – not for example on donor-led assumptions or political calculations. And finally, the independence principle means maintaining autonomy from political, economic, military or other calculations and acting in accordance with humanitarian principles.
In addition to the core principles, there are additional principles and concepts to take into account, including the concept of humanitarian accountability, succinctly described as “using power responsibly”.
Power imbalance in a situation of emergency can be acute, and often unidentified or not understood.
We can learn so much from experts, including the UN. It has a remarkable process for responses to national disasters. The work is led by the UN office for coordination of humanitarian affairs (OCHA). It plays a vital coordination role to ensure effective humanitarian aid, resourcing and support.
This is what Australia urgently needs right now. A coordinated, strategic national response for delivering humanitarian action.
In the months ahead, there will be a critical need for a trusted collaboration structure to facilitate the recovery and rebuilding effort. Voluntary coordination mechanisms will need to be put in place that welcome all local, regional, state and federal actors.
That coordination mechanism would ideally be facilitated by an independent and trusted party, perhaps as an initiative funded by, but independent of, the largest philanthropists or perhaps by the National Bushfire Recovery Agency.
When there isn’t a sense of fairness, nor trust in effective implementation and accountability, all the pain and trauma bubbles to the surface. Those grieving, angry voices are loud on my Twitter feed and in the wider community.
I was on the south coast of New South Wales for four long, scary weeks. Miles and miles of devastation. Fire tearing through properties to the north, west and south. Evacuations to the beach in smoke and heat. Stories of infernos and loss, of courage and of fear. And the man washing his clothes at the laundromat, who lost his home: “You know what they bloody arrived with?!” he yelled at me, “A truck full of nappies and food! Bloody nappies! We needed water! And generators!” He banged his fist to emphasise his anger, and he wept. And so it begins.
To make the most of all the kindness and greatness, there are answers, protocols, processes and best practice that we can tap into. The greater the coordination and collaboration, the more effective and timely the support and rebuilding will be.
I was heartened to hear of a recent gathering in Canberra of many representatives across different sectors, coming together to talk of what happens next. Let’s hope that we are at the beginning of the greatest collaboration and coordination effort in Australian history. If ever we needed it, we need it now.
May the rain return, and may it keep raining kindness.
• Audette Exel AO is founder of the Adara Group and the winner of the 2012 NSW Telstra businesswoman of the year award. Audette was named Australia’s 2016 leading philanthropist by Philanthropy Australia
