REMARKS AT THE SURF LIFE SAVING AUSTRALIA TSUNAMI AWARENESS EVENT
Bondi Beach, Sydney
Saturday, 6 March 2010
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First, may I acknowledge the traditional owners of the land we meet on – and pay my respects to their elders, both past and present.
- Brett Williamson, Chief Executive Officer of Surf Live Saving Australia;
- Dr David Jepson, senior seismologist at Geoscience Australia;
- Barry Hanstrum, NSW Regional Director at the Bureau of Meteorology; and
- Steve Opper, NSW State Emergency Service Operations Manager.
We are here today to reiterate the importance of listening to and following tsunami warnings. I also want to commend our surf life savers for the vital role they play in responding to tsunami warnings.
The events of last weekend reminded us all about the real threat that tsunamis pose to communities right around our coast.
Last Saturday, a massive earthquake off the coast of Chile caused widespread devastation. The earthquake created a tsunami wave which killed around 800 people in Chile, and affected coastal communities right around the Pacific.
Australia’s 24/7 tsunami warning system swung into gear and together with relevant State authorities issued tsunami warnings for relevant parts of the coastline.
The response was prompt and effective, and I want to commend the work of relevant agencies at both Commonwealth and State levels, including surf life savers and State Emergency Services here in NSW.
All in all, this was a great effort, and an excellent example of authorities working together to respond effectively to emergency threats.
The earthquake and subsequent issue of tsunami warnings demonstrated that the tsunami warning system worked well. Many people responded to the warnings, however, there were many reports of people ignoring the warnings. Some people even travelled to the beach to see a ‘big wave’.
Governments and bodies like Surf Life Saving Australia are undertaking a great deal of work to promote public awareness of the risks we face from tsunamis and the importance of responding appropriately to warnings.
The Attorney-General’s Department has, for example, undertaken a number of projects in conjunction with State and Territory government agencies, NGOs and others, including:
- preparing education materials for school children and an awareness kit for indigenous communities;
- a live theatre education segment at Questacon in Canberra;
- an audio disk for hearing impaired people;
- information brochures for recreational boaters and marine users;
- translation into 10 foreign languages for cultural and linguistically diverse groups;
- information placed in libraries around the country.
I am particularly proud of the work that has been done by Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) in conjunction with my department, to develop an interactive training resource for SLSA members, about tsunami risk and public behaviour.
Surf Life Savers and Lifeguards have a unique role in protecting people on Australian beaches, and will be key responders when a tsunami impacts the Australian coastline. For this reason, the Tsunami Education and Awareness resource will help life savers better respond to tsunami warnings.
This education and awareness resource has now been distributed widely to Surf Life Saving Australia members to ensure they are well prepared to assist the public in situations similar to those we saw last weekend.
I congratulate Surf Life Saving Australia on their willingness to cooperate with the Government in such a progressive manner in the production of this ‘new media’ resource.
We were lucky that no damaging tsunami hit Australia – but we may not be so lucky next time.
That is why I have written to relevant State and Territory Emergency Services Ministers, the Surf Life Saving Organisation and other stakeholders, regarding the public’s response to the warnings that were issued.
I have also asked the Attorney-General’s Department to work with their State and Territory colleagues, surf life savers and others, to highlight the lessons from last weekend’s tsunami warnings, focussing on:
- ways to better educate and prepare the public for tsunami warnings, and
- mechanisms for effectively distributing tsunami warnings to the public.
Clearly, it is important we all work together to prepare Australian communities for the risk of tsunamis and other natural hazards, and the projects highlighted today show the key role that life savers have.
I thank each of you for the work you do in helping keep Australia’s coastline safe, whether on a daily patrol or from the risk of a natural disaster.
Thank you.
