What it does
The Emergency Management Act 2005 establishes a hierarchical, integrated system for the prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery from emergencies across Western Australia. At its core, the Act defines an "emergency" in s. 3 as the occurrence or imminent occurrence of a hazard—encompassing natural events (cyclones, earthquakes, floods, storms, tsunamis), fires, crashes, plagues, epidemics, terrorist acts (as defined in the Commonwealth Criminal Code s. 100.1), or any other prescribed event capable of causing loss of life, injury, property damage, or environmental harm. "Emergency management" is then broken into four phases in the same section: prevention (mitigation), preparedness, response (combating effects and assisting casualties), and recovery (reconstruction of infrastructure, environment, community wellbeing, and economic support).
The legislation operates through three geographic and administrative tiers. Part 2 creates statewide arrangements. The State Emergency Coordinator (the Commissioner of Police under s. 10) coordinates responses during a state of emergency (s. 11(1)) and provides advice to the Minister and hazard management agencies (s. 11(2)). The State Emergency Management Committee (SEMC), established under s. 13 with a Minister-appointed chair possessing relevant expertise, develops State emergency management policies (s. 17) and plans (s. 18). These must address strategic frameworks, roles of agencies, and prescribed matters. The SEMC can designate cyclone areas (s. 16), direct public authorities to prepare or test plans (s. 20), and establish sub-committees (s. 21). A State Emergency Coordination Group is stood up during emergencies (s. 26) to coordinate public authorities and liaise with the Minister (s. 27). Emergency management districts are gazetted by the Minister on SEMC advice (s. 28), each with its own coordinator (s. 29) and committee (s. 31) that assist with local arrangements (s. 32).