2020-04-17 Post Election Meeting Agenda

POST ELECTION MEETING AGENDA                                                        17 APRIL 2020


     UnityWater
     Wireless Institute Communication Emergency Network (WICEN)

Other agencies attend as required depending on the nature of the disaster being addressed. State
government elected representatives are also available to attend if required.

Role of the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson
One of the most critical roles in the LDMG is the role of Chairperson. In addition to chairing LDMG
meetings, that role also liaises with other key agencies, attends State government briefings and
acts as the primary spokesperson for the LDMG during disaster events. The role of primary
spokesperson is a particularly critical role to ensure that the community is informed during disaster
events.

The Deputy Chairperson undertakes the role of Chairperson when the Chairperson is not available.
In practice, this normally occurs when the disaster response is occurring on a 24-hour cycle over
a number of days.

The Council needs to appoint a Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson to these roles.                 For
Councillors undertaking these roles, there is a significant amount of training required and the State
government has made a commitment to provide early training for incoming LDMG Chairpersons.

Relevant legislation
Council has responsibility under the Disaster Management Act 2003 to coordinate and manage
disasters and emergency events in our region. The relevant parts of the legislation that relate to
membership of the LDMG are:
Disaster Management Act 2003, Section 34
34    Chairperson and deputy chairperson
      (1)   There is a chairperson and a deputy chairperson of a local group.
      (2)   The chairperson and deputy chairperson are the persons prescribed by regulation.
      (3)   A regulation under this section may provide for—
            (a)   the appointment of the chairperson and deputy chairperson of a local group; and
            (b)   the qualifications and experience required for a person to be the chairperson or
                  deputy chairperson.

Disaster Management Regulation 2014, Section 10
10    Chairperson and deputy chairperson of local groups—Act, s 34
      (1)   For section 34(2) of the Act, the chairperson and deputy chairperson of a local group
            are the persons appointed by the relevant local government for the local group to be
            the chairperson and deputy chairperson.
      (2)   The chairperson must be a councillor of a local government.

Current status of LDMG
The LDMG is currently at stand-up and due to constraints with communications has appointed a
task specific Working Group to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak. This means that the LDMG is
currently active and is meeting weekly to co-ordinate the local response. It is meeting “virtually”
with key players currently including:
     Australian Red Cross (advisor)
     Executive Officer – Sunshine Coast District Disaster Management Group (Advisor)

                                                                                       Page 7 of 14