The Albanese Government has launched a new suite of natural disaster preparedness resources in 10 languages to help Australia’s culturally and linguistically diverse communities prepare for severe weather events.
The resources include videos, fact sheets, posters and digital materials covering seven of Australia’s most common natural hazards — bushfires, floods, cyclones, storms, heatwaves, earthquakes and tsunamis.
The materials have been translated into Arabic, Cantonese, Dari, Korean, Mandarin, Nepali, Punjabi, Spanish, Thai and Vietnamese. Complementary Easy Read versions are also available for people with low literacy.
Minister for Multicultural Affairs Dr Anne Aly said emergency information should be accessible regardless of the language spoken at home.
“Everyone deserves access to information that helps them prepare for and respond to emergencies, regardless of the language they speak at home.”
She encouraged communities to share the resources with friends and family and display them in community spaces.
The project was funded through the Albanese Government’s Disaster Risk Reduction Package and led by Get Ready Queensland in consultation with jurisdictions across Australia.
The Government said the initiative aims to remove language barriers that can prevent people from understanding disaster risks and knowing how to respond during emergencies.
Extensive consultation was undertaken during the development of the resources, with 155 native-speaking community members contributing through 16 face-to-face workshops held across Australia. Community, government and sector advisory groups also provided input.
A dedicated toolkit has been developed to help community organisations and other stakeholders adapt, promote and distribute the resources within multicultural communities.
Minister for Emergency Management Kristy McBain said improving access to preparedness information could help communities recover more quickly after disasters. “We know people who are prepared for disaster events bounce back faster,” McBain said.
“For members of CALD communities, overcoming language barriers is a huge step forward when it comes to disaster risk awareness and staying safe in emergencies.”
The resources are being released ahead of the upcoming higher-risk weather season and are available through the national Get Ready website.
The launch comes as the National Emergency Management Agency prepares to host its annual National Preparedness Summit in Canberra, bringing together emergency management representatives from across Australia.
The summit will include national briefings and a preparedness exercise informed by the Bureau of Meteorology’s forecast for the upcoming season.
The Albanese Government is also providing more than $8 million through Round Three of the Disaster Ready Fund to establish the National Get Ready program, designed to support consistent but locally tailored disaster preparedness campaigns across Australia.
Queensland Minister for Disaster Recovery Ann Leahy said the initiative would help ensure people across Australia understood the risks posed by severe weather and knew how to prepare.
“We live in a culturally and linguistically diverse country, and it’s important everyone understands the different types of severe weather we face and what they can do to prepare.”
The multilingual resources are available at getready.gov.au/languages.
Support our Journalism
No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.
