Indigenous leaders are in Lismore this week for the second annual Indigenous national disaster resilience meeting. The event taps into First Nations knowledge and seeks to ensure disaster responses are culturally appropriate.
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00:00Welcome to beautiful Widjabul country here at the Lismore Showgrounds where we're at
00:08the base of a local Indigenous landmark, the Sleeping Lizard.
00:14This is the second annual National Indigenous Disaster Resilience Gathering.
00:21Last year it was in Brisbane and this year it's a very different look event here in a
00:26rural showground.
00:28So some of the delegates are camping here and today they're off on a tour or different
00:33tours of the region.
00:36So yesterday after a acknowledgement of country and smoke ceremony, people got straight into
00:43the event.
00:44There were lectures to do with the value of cultural burning in terms of disaster management.
00:52It was a lecture about the role that Indigenous health organisations can play in disaster
01:00recovery and also legal issues that affect Indigenous communities, particularly after
01:06a disaster.
01:08Now we know that Indigenous communities are disproportionately affected by natural disasters
01:14given so many of them are in potentially more marginal land, low-lying land or bushland.
01:25Organiser Bayami Williamson says that government agencies need to have the skills and the knowledge
01:32to interact with Indigenous communities in the wake of disasters.
01:37There needs to be specific responses to support Aboriginal communities because the needs of
01:42Aboriginal communities are distinct from all others.
01:44I mean talking about unique cultural heritage rights, unique governing arrangements in Aboriginal
01:49communities, unique legal arrangements that exist with land trusts and discreet communities.
01:55And you see the awesome strength and power of communities as they rally to support one
01:59another and support each other and provide assistance when others don't.
02:05Aboriginal communities often find themselves forgotten in disaster responses.
02:09This will have an opportunity to bend the ear of National Emergency Management Minister
02:14Jenny Atchinson who's come to Lismore.
02:17This is her first time here in the new role.
02:21So it's quite significant that this event is being held in Lismore.
02:26We know that this community was severely affected by flooding around two years ago and in the
02:34wake of those floods it was Indigenous organisations that stepped up, not just for Indigenous communities
02:41here but for the broader community.
02:45The Koori Mal was one such organisation that ran a huge flood hub and it went for months
02:51welcoming people from all over the region with support, food, it was quite an incredible
02:59feat.
03:00Indigenous communities say they have the knowledge and they have the experience and it's time
03:07for their voices to be heard in this conversation.
03:11Georgina Brismar was working in Indigenous health at the time of the floods and here's
03:18what she had to say.
03:20To see what has happened in Lismore through the floods and to where we are now is absolutely
03:27amazing to see these grounds and the venue and just to hear community voices up on stage
03:36is just beautiful.