00:00Welcome to beautiful Widjabul country here at the Lismore Showgrounds where we're at
00:08the base of a local Indigenous landmark, the Sleeping Lizard.
00:14This is the second annual National Indigenous Disaster Resilience Gathering.
00:21Last year it was in Brisbane and this year it's a very different look event here in a
00:26rural showground.
00:28So some of the delegates are camping here and today they're off on a tour or different
00:33tours of the region.
00:36So yesterday after a acknowledgement of country and smoke ceremony, people got straight into
00:43the event.
00:44There were lectures to do with the value of cultural burning in terms of disaster management.
00:52It was a lecture about the role that Indigenous health organisations can play in disaster
01:00recovery and also legal issues that affect Indigenous communities, particularly after
01:06a disaster.
01:08Now we know that Indigenous communities are disproportionately affected by natural disasters
01:14given so many of them are in potentially more marginal land, low-lying land or bushland.
01:25Organiser Bayami Williamson says that government agencies need to have the skills and the knowledge
01:32to interact with Indigenous communities in the wake of disasters.
01:37There needs to be specific responses to support Aboriginal communities because the needs of
01:42Aboriginal communities are distinct from all others.
01:44I mean talking about unique cultural heritage rights, unique governing arrangements in Aboriginal
01:49communities, unique legal arrangements that exist with land trusts and discreet communities.
01:55And you see the awesome strength and power of communities as they rally to support one
01:59another and support each other and provide assistance when others don't.
02:05Aboriginal communities often find themselves forgotten in disaster responses.
02:09This will have an opportunity to bend the ear of National Emergency Management Minister
02:14Jenny Atchinson who's come to Lismore.
02:17This is her first time here in the new role.
02:21So it's quite significant that this event is being held in Lismore.
02:26We know that this community was severely affected by flooding around two years ago and in the
02:34wake of those floods it was Indigenous organisations that stepped up, not just for Indigenous communities
02:41here but for the broader community.
02:45The Koori Mal was one such organisation that ran a huge flood hub and it went for months
02:51welcoming people from all over the region with support, food, it was quite an incredible
02:59feat.
03:00Indigenous communities say they have the knowledge and they have the experience and it's time
03:07for their voices to be heard in this conversation.
03:11Georgina Brismar was working in Indigenous health at the time of the floods and here's
03:18what she had to say.
03:20To see what has happened in Lismore through the floods and to where we are now is absolutely
03:27amazing to see these grounds and the venue and just to hear community voices up on stage
03:36is just beautiful.
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