Interview with Sunrise - EMA Director General, Joe Buffone
Transcript of Joe Buffone, Director General of Emergency Management Australia interview with Sunrise
15 March 2022
Natalie Barr: The federal government has defended its response to the East Coast flood crisis. It's blamed the New South Wales state government for the slow flood response, claiming the Australian Defence Force can't be deployed without the States putting their request forward first.
Matthew Shirvington: It comes as locals are rolling up their sleeves and getting stuck into the cleanup. In Sydney, the Windsor Bridge has reopened for the first time in almost two weeks.
Natalie Barr: The Director General of Emergency Management Australia, Joe Buffone, joins us now. Morning to you. What's your view on how the federal government responded to the East Coast flood crisis?
Joe Buffone: Good morning, Natalie. Good morning, Matthew. Just before I answer that question specifically, I just want to acknowledge the impact on communities. 21 fatalities, thousands of people without homes at the moment and a very complex event. I was actually on the ground up there. I've seen first hand both in Queensland and New South Wales the impact, but at the moment there are 7000 ADF people. There are thousands of emergency services and recovery people on the ground. There are 113 rescues that were done by ADF. There were 2600 rescues that were done by emergency services in that response in very, very difficult circumstances. So they are volunteers, career staff, and then, of course, the community in relation to the actual response.
So, the way the system works is that the States have Primacy, they have the responsibility to respond. We work hand in hand with them. But the Commonwealth does not have jurisdiction without the States asking. But we've worked very, very closely and we continue to work very closely and we ramped up according to the information that we had at the time. That's the thing. This event has been very complicated. 1200 km of impact areas, a rain-bomb, as it has been described, then an East Coast low, then thunderstorms. So communities are continually being impacted and a very complex situation.
Matthew Shirvington: Joe, you're bang on. I mean, the victims are frustrated. You mentioned that their lives have been lost. Unfortunately, though, if you don't find out where the mistakes were made, this can happen again. The blame game is not just a political football, it's to save lives in the future.
Joe Buffone: Yeah, it's a really good point, Matthew. We are already looking at how we can improve the system. I mean, this is a disaster and the nature of disasters means that decisions are made with incomplete information and then you do the best that you can. Everybody has been working really hard to do their best. We're looking at it right now around where can things improve. How can we work closer? How can we deploy our capabilities earlier without actually being locked in by having to be asked? But it has to be coordinated and it has to be with the States. So that it is a coordinated fashion. There's no doubt that there are lessons to be learned in this.
Natalie Barr: Joe, just quickly, didn't we change that after the bushfires that the Commonwealth could just come in?
Joe Buffone: No, that's not the case. It's never been changed. Not even with the changes- the legislation that was introduced, the national emergency declaration, the Commonwealth cannot just come in. The Commonwealth works with the States. They then determine where the priorities are and then they deploy accordingly.
Matthew Shirvington: Joe Buffone, thank you so much for your time.
