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Australia’s new Crisis Coordination Centre opened Attorney-General Robert McClelland has officially opened the new Australian Government Crisis Coordination Centre (CCC) in Canberra, which will improve the government’s capability to respond to large scale natural disasters or acts of terrorism. Mr McClelland said the purpose-built secure facility - which monitors risks to Australia and Australians 24 hours a day, seven days a week - has capacity for up to 100 officers from Commonwealth, state and territory agencies on site during a crisis. “The Crisis Coordination Centre connects Commonwealth, State and Territory agencies to centralise Australian Government actions during national emergencies,” he said. “Operating from its temporary premises from September 2010, the CCC coordinated Australian Government assistance during the Queensland floods, Tropical Cyclone Yasi, the New Zealand earthquake and Victorian floods. “While state and territory authorities are the first responders during times of disasters, the Australian Government has a critical role in coordinating support from other states, the Australian Defence Force, Commonwealth agencies and overseas. “The new $14 million CCC facility includes a large operational room, linked video conferencing facilities with the states and territories, crisis coordination rooms as well as secure premise that can be used during a national security incident. “It also features high-speed and secure communications for officers from all agencies to link back to their home agency. “The new CCC premises will mean staff are ready to move instantly from 24/7 monitoring state to response state whenever an emergency happens.” During a ‘steady’ state the CCC is staffed by approximately 20 officers from Emergency Management Australia, reporting information to the Australian Government on all potential known hazards, and undertaking contingency planning and preparation for crisis response. “This includes threats such as natural disasters and man-made disasters, including security and cyber threats,” Mr McClelland said. “As the bushfire and disaster season approaches, this new facility will be a welcome boost to our capabilities over summer. “We hope that there will be no need activate the full capabilities of the CCC this summer – but we can be confident that if a crisis occurs that we will be able to respond quickly and effectively.” •Date: 19th October 2011 • Region: Australia •Type: Article • Topic: Emergency planning
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