Tuesday, 06 March 2018

Member for Davidson, Jonathan O’Dea is calling on local individuals, schools, communities and businesses to apply now for the 2018 Resilient Australia Awards and NSW Get Ready Community Awards.

Mr O’Dea said the award programs showcase initiatives in NSW that are building community preparedness and resilience to natural disasters. Last year, St Ives North Public School won an award in the Schools category of the Resilient Australia Awards.

“I am proud to represent an electorate where so many people dedicate their time to ensuring we’re prepared for natural disasters and I thank them for their selflessness and community spirit.

“The awards are about recognising the innovative practices and achievements that not only make our communities safer but also resilient enough to handle emergency situations,” Mr O’Dea said.

Now in their 19th year, the Resilient Australia Awards are open to individuals, not for profit organisations, small and large businesses, local and state governments, schools, education institutions, research bodies and emergency service agencies.

Minister for Emergency Services, Troy Grant said the NSW Government is looking to see examples of local communities joining forces to proactively build and strengthen resilience to natural disasters.

“While our emergency service agencies like the SES, RFS and FRNSW do remarkable work protecting and supporting communities in times of need, we all have a responsibility to think ahead, get ready and be as prepared as possible,” Mr Grant said.

“Both the Resilient Australia Awards and the NSW Get Ready Community Awards recognise communities proactively preparing for emergencies and building up resilience for times of need.”

Established in 2015, the NSW Get Ready Award focuses on the collaborative efforts of an entire community that has worked together and taken action to plan and prepare for when disaster strikes.

Applications close on 31 May 2018. For more information on how to apply for both the Resilient Australia Awards and the Get Ready NSW Awards, go to: https://www.emergency.nsw.gov.au/emsector/awards/.