Mission
EMPA was formed in 2006 from a discussion between the University of Southern Queensland and the Queensland Department of Emergency Services about a way of developing emergency communication skills and sharing experiences in order to learn. Emergency Management Australia had also been looking at ways to develop the field, and the three organisations decided to hold the first conference, which was in Brisbane in 2007. The first committee was Alastair Wilson from EMA, Barbara Ryan from USQ and Peter Rekers from DES, which then expanded to include communicators from organisations and universities in other states.
Voluntary Commitments
The Sendai Framework Voluntary Commitments (SFVC) online platform allows stakeholders to inform the public about their work on DRR. The SFVC online platform is a useful toolto know who is doing what and where for the implementation of the Sendai Framework, which could foster potential collaboration among stakeholders. All stakeholders (private sector, civil society organizations, academia, media, local governments, etc.) working on DRR can submit their commitments and report on their progress and deliverables.