ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an overview of the disaster management arrangements which were in place at the time of the 2009 bushfires in Victoria. The insights generated from the chapter is used as part of a comparative analysis with the 2011 Queensland floods to understand the implications of the case studies relative to broader principles surrounding crisis management. The chapter illustrates that broadly the Commonwealth provides a planning framework through Emergency Management Australia and support for preparation and planning prior to disaster. The Victorian approach to disaster management at the time of Black Saturday embraced a "whole of government and whole of the community approach" in connecting different agencies, departments and the state and local level. The chapter also suggests that Australia's federal system is an important overall consideration when undertaking an analysis of disaster management arrangements, given that the response to disasters remains largely state driven.
