Centrelink Commonwealth (Comcare)
Category 4: Public sector leadership award for injury prevention and management
Centrelink is a government agency delivering a range of Commonwealth services to the Australian community. Centrelink administers more than 140 different products and services for 25 government agencies and employs more than 25,000 staff.
Centrelink Central and Northern Queensland had to manage occupational health and safety during its response to tropical Cyclones Larry and Monica.
Cyclone Larry caused immense devastation to the northern Queensland region, in particular the town of Innisfail. Staff were committed to continuing to provide Centrelink services, and leaders and senior managers were committed to the health and safety of all staff members. No staff member was injured during the clean up phase, and Centrelink continues to provide support to all staff that worked in the region during that period.
Following this devastation in late April, Cyclone Monica crossed Cape York and dealt a severe blow to parts of the Cape struggling to adjust to the residual effects of Cyclone Larry.
When a significant environmental disaster occurs such as this, Centrelink has a requirement to respond appropriately and in a timely manner, whilst also considering the health and safety of its employees. Centrelink had to undertake risk management and also effective business continuity and emergency management (BC&EM) planning.
The natural disaster was an immense task that Centrelink had to immediately cope with and respond to in a timely manner. Its commitment to safety is demonstrated by the emphasis that was put on the physical and psychological safety of its employees and the wider community during this time.
Staff in Innisfail who were affected by the cyclone were given a high level of immediate support (both financial and emotional).
There were no reports of injury or disease in the workplace, no reports of customer aggression and no identifiable indicants required to be reported to Comcare in relation to Cyclones Larry and Monica.
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Page last updated: 03/05/2007