EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COOPERATION WITH NEW CALEDONIA
10 March 2010
Australia and French New Caledonia have agreed to strengthen their cooperation in preventing and responding to bushfires and other natural disasters, under a Letter of Intent signed today by the Attorney-General, Robert McClelland.
The Letter of Intent calls for Australia and New Caledonia to:
- share information about preparations for natural disasters and emergencies, including disaster response plans;
- share information on each Government’s emergency management frameworks;
- undertake professional development of emergency managers, including exchanging ‘lessons learned’ experiences from recent natural disasters; and
- build networks between Australian and New Caledonian emergency management agencies including through the exchange of technical experts and specialists.
The Letter of Intent also calls for emergency management authorities in both countries to establish arrangements for the exchange of personnel in response to emergencies.
“I am very pleased that this link has been forged to enable our two countries to work together to prevent, respond to and recover from natural disaster events,” Mr McClelland said.
The Attorney-General signed the Letter of Intent with the French High Commissioner in New Caledonia, Mr Yves Dassonville, in the presence of the President of the Government of New Caledonia, Mr Philippe Gomès, who are currently visiting Australia.
Media Contact: Adam Siddique 0407 473 630
