Federal Member for Herbert Phillip Thompson OAM MP is calling on the Albanese Government to clarify what ground-level disaster recovery capacity exists for North Queensland as the monsoon and cyclone season approaches. The push follows testimony at Senate Estimates in which National Emergency Management Agency officials could not identify a nationally scalable, rapidly deployable volunteer workforce to replace the one lost when Disaster Relief Australia collapsed earlier this year.
What changed after Disaster Relief Australia's collapse
Disaster Relief Australia had operated as a nationally coordinated network of veterans and volunteers, deployable to affected communities after floods, cyclones and other natural disasters. Its closure this year removed a capability that communities like Townsville had previously relied on for rapid, boots-on-the-ground assistance such as debris clearance, property clean-up and direct support to residents in the days and weeks after a disaster strikes.
At Senate Estimates, agency officials acknowledged the absence of a replacement presented "some challenges going forward," but did not name an alternative organization or mechanism capable of mobilizing volunteers at similar scale and speed.
Why the timing matters for North Queensland
Mr Thompson said the gap is especially concerning given Townsville's exposure to cyclones, flooding and severe weather during the wet season. "We are heading into the most dangerous time of the year for North Queensland, and there can be no gaps in our disaster response and recovery capability," he said, arguing that recovery arrangements need to be settled before a cyclone makes landfall rather than assembled afterward.
He also raised concerns about reliance on the Australian Defence Force to fill civilian recovery roles. "The ADF is too small and too busy to be this Labor government's first responder," Mr Thompson said, noting that Townsville's defense personnel have historically assisted during emergencies but should not be treated as a default substitute for dedicated civilian recovery capacity.
What answers are being sought
Mr Thompson is asking the federal government to specify three things: what recovery capability is currently in place, where that capability would be sourced from, and how quickly it could be deployed to Townsville and other regional or remote communities in North Queensland. He argues that without clear answers, residents cannot be confident that trained personnel would be available to support clean-up and recovery efforts immediately after a disaster.
No government response detailing a replacement framework has been outlined in the material provided, leaving the scale and timeline of any new recovery arrangement unconfirmed ahead of the coming cyclone season.