GENERAL
Emergency Management Australia is the relevant division of the Australian Government.
Arts Victoria has developed a webpage to promote a range of services and guidelines for arts and cultural organisations in bushfire-affected communities.
In some parts of Australia, cultural heritage organisations are collaborating under 'Memoranda of Understanding' to provide mutual aid in times of emergency, and to prepare for emergencies via training and other programs. Two examples are DISACT (in the Australian Capital Territory) and the Ballarat Collections Network (in Victoria).
Blue Shield Australia (BSA) promotes the protection of cultural heritage against threats of all kinds, and aims to contribute to efforts to prepare the Australian community to respond to such threats. BSA encourages emergency preparedness in all cultural heritage organisations, including archives, galleries, libraries, museums and heritage places.
PREVENT & PREPARE
Click HERE to access and download Be Prepared (guidelines for writing a disaster preparedness plan).
Click HERE to access and download Bushfires... Protect Your Precious Possessions (a free booklet produced by conservators at The University of Melbourne with funding from Emergency Management Australia).
Click HERE to access Storing collections in high bushfire risk areas, a leaflet prepared by the Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Materials.
RESPOND
State Emergency Services: ACT NSW NT Qld SA Tas Vic WA
RECOVER
Disaster Assist - a resource page from the Australian Government that includes fact sheets for 'Coping After a Disaster'.
Click HERE to read about salvaging archival records (an extract from Keeping Archives, a book that's published by the Australian Society of Archivists).
To assist in recovery of cultural materials, the Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Materials has prepared several resources:
The Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Materials website can help you find a conservator in private practice who may be able to help to salvage damaged items.
About this page
This page was first published on 24 March 2009, and updated on 12 January 2010.
Blue Shield Australia is now managing its own website where it provides similar useful links. Their page will be maintained and updated, whereas this page will not be maintained after 30 April 2010.
Click HERE to go to the Blue Shield Australia website.