We can’t keep relying on the ADF to respond to natural disasters – how to rebuild our emergency volunteer workforce
- Written by: Milad Haghani, Associate Professor & Principal Fellow in Urban Risk & Resilience, The University of Melbourne
The recent rollover of two army trucks carrying Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel responding to ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred was unprecedented for a domestic emergency operation.
Thirty-two soldiers were hospitalised in the twin incidents, which occurred when a convoy of military vehicles was en route to assist flood-affected residents of Lismore. The accident reignited debate over the sustainability of the ADF’s expanding role in disaster response.
We are relying on the military more frequently because Australia’s renowned voluntary emergency workforce is shrinking. Not enough people are fronting up to fight the fires and floods, and other calamities that regularly blight the Australian landscape.
Unless the volunteer army is revitalised, the burden on the ADF will continue to grow, as will the related risk of compromising Australia’s national security.
Response and recovery model
Australia’s disaster response system operates as a multi-agency model, combining career emergency personnel, trained volunteers, and when necessary, ADF assets.
Each state and territory manages its own emergency response through a multitude of agencies. In Victoria, the State Emergency Service (SES) specialises in floods, storms and tsunamis while the Country Fire Authority (CFA) is responsible for fire suppression and rescues across most of the state.
These agencies have career personnel who oversee operations, manage logistics, coordinate mobilisations, and provide leadership. However, the vast majority of frontline responders are volunteers.
In New South Wales, the Rural Fire Service (RFS) has over 70,000 volunteers across approximately 2,000 brigades, making up the vast majority of its workforce. The service has only around 1,200 paid staff. The NSW SES is also heavily volunteer-driven, with around 10,000 volunteers, supported by approximately 460 paid staff.
Volunteers form the backbone of these emergency services.
Major distraction
When disasters exceed the capacity of emergency services, the ADF is called in to provide additional support.
Operation Bushfire Assist for example, involved more than 6,500 ADF personnel, including 3,000 reservists who were deployed to tackle the 2019–2020 Black Summer bushfires. It was the largest ADF mobilisation for domestic disaster relief in Australian history.
The defence force serves Australian communities during times of need. But it is not a civilian disaster agency.
The ADF’s core mission is defence and combat capabilities, not firefighting, flood rescues, or storm recovery. Requests for assistance have traditionally had to be balanced against military priorities.
Last year, a Senate inquiry into Australia’s Disaster Resilience warned this growing reliance may not be sustainable.
ADF disaster assistance also comes at a financial cost. It is estimated the relief work during the 2022 floods in Queensland and NSW as well as the 2019–2020 bush fires exceeded $90 million.
Every time the ADF is deployed for disaster relief, it diverts personnel and resources from other defence priorities.
Fewer volunteers
The ADF keeps getting called up because there is often no one else to do the work.
The number of operational CFA volunteers in Victoria has plummeted from 36,823 in 2014 to 28,906 in 2024. The pattern is repeated to varying degrees across all emergency services, including the SES and CFA.
The current volunteer base is also ageing, and younger Australians are not stepping up at the same rate.
Australians aged 55 years and over are more likely to volunteer than younger Australians.
To reduce the burden on the military, there is no other option than an all out effort to revitalise the volunteer emergency workforce.
Boosting emergency volunteering
Awareness is an issue. Many young people have no exposure to emergency services volunteering.
Recruitment efforts may not be reaching them effectively. Traditional, long-term volunteer commitments may not suit younger generations. The solution could be more flexible, short-term, or event-based volunteering options.
A national campaign to highlight the role and importance of emergency volunteers as a social responsibility could help shift attitudes and increase participation and retention.
Incentives could help too, starting with tax deductions on costs incurred while volunteering such as mileage, travel and uniforms. And consideration should be given to a proposal in the United Kingdom to offer council tax discounts to residents who engage in community volunteering.
Removing barriers is also important. Some volunteers leave due to excessive paperwork, slow on-boarding or financial burden. Reducing red tape while maintaining safety standards could improve retention.
Beyond recruitment, creating a positive experience for volunteers would also make a difference.
Businesses and higher education also have a role to play.
Corporate volunteer programs that allow employees to assist emergency services during work hours could expand the volunteer pool. More universities should be incorporating volunteering into their personal development programs.
Finally, promoting volunteerism as a core Australian value, especially through the education system, would be helpful. It would shape attitudes early and make generational differences.
A strong volunteering culture helps keep us safe. Without it, we risk becoming even more vulnerable to deadly natural disasters.
Authors: Milad Haghani, Associate Professor & Principal Fellow in Urban Risk & Resilience, The University of Melbourne
