Jurisdictional winners announced for 20th Resilient Australia Awards

Jurisdictional winners have been announced for the 2019 Resilient Australia Awards, ahead of the National Ceremony that will take place on 7 November.

A record-breaking number of submissions were made in community, government, business, local government, school and photography categories.

The winners at a jurisdictional level will now have the opportunity to win in one of four award categories in Adelaide.

National Award

• NSW Rural Fire Service: This submission celebrates ten years of the Prepare.Act.Survive. campaigns, which have delivered significant improvement in fire preparedness and changing community expectations.
• NT Emergency Service: A series of short films produced by NT Emergency Service deliver visual education that conveys flood wise messages that can be clearly understand in remote communities.
• SES Scout Badge (WA): Scouts around Western Australia are visiting SES units and receiving a badge for their awareness and disaster resilience.
• Domestic violence in emergencies (VIC): A project by the Gender and Disaster Pod, who have conducted sessions with the emergency services sector to show the challenges faced by men in the context of disasters.
• Community Trauma Toolkit (ACT): Developed by the Australian National University and Emerging Minds in consultation with the University of Queensland, a trauma-informed approach to educating workplaces and families about infant and child mental health when faced with a natural disaster.

National Local Government Award

• Hume City Council (VIC): The 'Learn and Prepare' campaign builds the capacity and knowledge of English as an Additional Language for students to effectively manage emergency situations.
• Redland City Council (QLD): 'The Community Champions' program enables a community-led response to potential disasters and emergency management. It empowers communities to take shared responsibility and ownership to shape resilience and preparedness in the community.
• Sunshine Coast City Council (QLD): This local government has created the 'Sunshine Coast Get Ready Schools Program', which helps young people to build resilience to natural hazards through interactive activities and collaboration with fire and emergency services.

National School Award

• Strathewen’s Fire History (VIC): This primary school shares a bushfire education partnership with the Country Fire Authority, which empowers and educates young children about their environment and the risks posed by bushfires.
• Swayneville School Mural (QLD): After the displacement caused by Tropical Cyclone Debbie in 2017 forced students at Swayneville State School to relocate to Sarina Range, students constructed a mural that illustrates the connection between the two campuses.
• When Fire Met the Sea (NSW): Students in Tathra wrote and illustrated a book that showcases their resilience to the March 2018 bushfires, which devastated Tathra and surrounding areas.

National Photography Award

Lurline Byles (WA):

James Spencer (TAS):

Marta Yebra (ACT):