Abstract
Major disasters continue to represent a significant social, economic, environmental and public health issue in Australia. As part of a proactive approach to enhancing Australia's resilience to disasters, this report presents the findings derived from a thematic review of recent major Australian disaster inquiry reports and gives an overview of the key issues in disaster resilience overseas. The aim was to identify the common themes to assist in the identification of potential strategies for enhancing resilience. The Council of Australian Governments National Strategy for Disaster Resilience was used as a thematic framework to analyze the reports. Six key themes were identified as particularly critical: State emergency management arrangements, understanding, awareness and assessment of risk, critical infrastructure, community communication and empowerment, research, and what does a disaster resilient community look like? Similar issues were identified in the review of overseas approaches to disaster resilience. In closing, the factors that drive these key issues are discussed and the way forward is articulated through reference to exemplars of recent initiatives.