This project was funded by a Sydney Environment Institute (University of Sydney) Collaborative Grant for the duration of 2024.
The study focused on disaster management personnel working in the three local government areas around Lismore, the epicentre of the 2022 catastrophic floods and landslides. It was particularly interested in the lessons learned by disaster management personnel since the disaster, and the resulting evolution of connections between them and community groups. It sought to identify and understand examples of effective collaboration.
The findings highlight four key insights:
- Collaboration grew over time: While few connections existed at the time of the disaster, a strong network between disaster management agencies and community groups developed in its aftermath.
- New systems improved communication: Participants identified structures that enabled two-way communication, based on respect for community capacity and a ‘bottom-up’ approach.
- Cultural barriers remain: The most significant challenge to overcome was, and remains, the culture within disaster management agencies that devalues community action and views it only as a risk.
- Trust is critical but unsupported: Individual relationships of trust enabled effective problem-solving but were not embedded in agency structures, making them difficult to sustain outside of crises.
Encouragingly, participants reported positive steps towards more effective collaboration based on a newfound understanding of community capacity and a willingness to work together. Yet, lasting change requires cultural shifts within agencies, resourcing for long-term engagement, and formal mechanisms to support two-way communication.
The study calls for greater recognition of community capacity, dedicated roles for engagement during non-crisis periods, and agency-wide training to improve understanding of grassroots disaster response. Without these changes, the risk of missed opportunities for collaboration and more severe disaster impacts remains high.
