Joint media release with the Hon Pat Conroy, the Hon Mark Ryan MP and the Hon Jihad Dib MP
A hypothetical catastrophic earthquake in Brisbane’s central business district will this week be the focus of an international crisis response exercise involving more than 300 emergency management personnel from 30 countries and from across Australia.
The Asia Pacific Earthquake Response Exercise (APERE) will explore how the response to a severe earthquake would be coordinated nationally, and how international Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams would assist with the recovery.
The scenario, which starts today, is a severe earthquake that causes significant loss of life and collapsed buildings in the Brisbane CBD, with impacts crossing the border into New South Wales.
Lessons from this exercise will ensure that Australia is better prepared for a major disaster, strengthen national coordination and identify areas for continual improvement.
International USAR Teams, Emergency Medical Teams, Australian Government agencies with crisis preparedness and response responsibilities and state and territory departments will work together to evaluate Australia’s preparedness for a disaster of this scale and severity.
Among the contingent of international participants will be representatives from Türkiye, which this year experienced a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake, leading to the loss of an estimated 50,000 lives.
Australia’s USAR Team, who assisted in responding to the Türkiye and Syria earthquakes will also be participating along with Australian Emergency Medical Teams (AUSMAT) who supported our Pacific partners throughout COVID-19.
APERE is jointly hosted by the National Emergency Management Agency, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, Fire and Rescue NSW, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Quotes attributed to Federal Minister for Emergency Management, Murray Watt:
“While moderate to severe earthquakes happen less frequently in Australia, they still occur and we need to be prepared. Building on this capability means we are better prepared for any disaster that may occur in the future.”
“This exercise provides an incredible opportunity to work with and learn from our international partners and to give our national and state emergency agencies the chance to test, in a less stressful time, how they would work together.”
Quotes attributed to Minister for International Development and the Pacific the Hon Pat Conroy:
“We welcome this opportunity to strengthen Australia’s own disaster preparedness with the support of our regional partners.”
“This exercise demonstrates the importance Australia places on building and strengthening relationships across the region to ensure we are always ready to support each other in time of crises.”
Quotes attributed to Queensland Minister for Fire and Emergency Services Mark Ryan:
“We are proud to have a world-class Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) capability and an internationally deployable team of experts within Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, who are trained to respond and assist on the frontline of the worlds’ largest disasters.”
“Earlier this year we assisted emergency rescue teams following the Türkiye earthquake, as well as the New Zealand flood disaster.
“It is vitally important for our crews to test their procedures and inter-operability regularly, to ensure crews maintain currency of skills and have the ability to deploy nationally, or internationally, as soon as the need arises.”
Quotes attributed to NSW Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib:
“Preparedness for any natural disaster is key, and simulation exercises like this will help us better plan a response in the event of an earthquake, particularly in terms of inter-jurisdictional cooperation.”
“Having international experts here in Brisbane will give us the global insights to be better prepared. I’m proud of the role Fire and Rescue NSW is playing in this exercise.”
