Putting evidence in front of decision-makers in crises
The article was read more than 819,000 times and has been republished by 25 other media outlets around the world including The Guardian, the ABC, Stuff (New Zealand), Rappler (Philippines), IOL (South Africa), Scroll (India), The Tyee (Canada) and Informed Comment (USA).
This article on how to help people with disabilities prepare for disasters from the University of Sydney’s Michelle Villeneuve was one of our pieces with the highest impact, gaining the attention of policymakers. Michelle is working with the Australian government on the development of the new National Disability Strategy, advising on the creation of new target outcomes for disability inclusive emergency planning. Michelle was also interviewed on ABC TV and completed workshops for local councils in Queensland.
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PEOPLE living with disability across Ipswich will soon be better prepared should disasters including severe storms or floods impact the city.
Dedicated workshops focused on creating an emergency plan specific to an individual’s needs will take place next week.
Ipswich City Council and the Queenslanders with Disability Network teamed up to deliver the sessions after 2016’s Census report revealed 17 per cent of Ipswich residents were living with disability.
Local Disaster Management Group deputy chair Councillor Kate Kunzelmann said the workshop would be practical and interactive for people with disability and their carers.
“We know that preparedness is our best defence against disaster,” Cr Kunzelmann said.
Ensuring governments listen to the evidence
After Murdoch University’s Lorraine Finlay wrote Think the dual citizenship saga does not affect state parliamentarians? It might be time to think again, the Standing Committee on Procedure and Privileges in the West Australian parliament called an inquiry into the issues raised by The Conversation’s article and have recommended that state constitutional amendments be introduced.
After University of Sydney’s Leanne Cutcher and Swinburne University’s Graham Dyer wrote ‘I can still picture the faces’: Black Saturday firefighters want you to listen to them, not call them ‘heroes’, Graham was invited by the Country Fire Authority to give feedback to the emergency management sector. Victoria’s Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning also used the article as a basis to support an Australian Research Council Discovery Grant.