Speeches
Monday, 30 September 2024
Reception for Resilient Australia Awards
I warmly welcome you to Government House this evening.
This is the second time we have hosted a reception for the Resilient Australia Awards, and I am sure the calibre of this year’s awardees will be as high as the last.
There is no question that Australians are being called to show greater resilience in the face of growing challenges.
Over the past few years, Australia has faced the effects of impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, bushfires, floods, cyclones and storms, coupled with the pressures of economic downturn and increasing cost of living.
These events have highlighted areas of opportunity, if sometimes also of vulnerability, in our communities, landscapes, businesses and government.
Everyone here is affected professionally and personally by these changing circumstances.
The way we prepare for such events has a crucial bearing on how well our community can respond to future challenges.
You all know first‑hand the work that goes into preparedness.
You appreciate the complexities and challenges of this work
You understand the importance of working together as a state and as a nation, of learning together, and of developing evidence-based approaches with practical applications – reflected in the theme of the Resilient Australia national conference earlier this month, ‘Maintaining momentum: driving systemic change to create a more resilient future.’
I thank you all for your expertise and dedication, your insight and innovative approaches.
For more than 20 years, the Resilient Australia awards have recognised the outstanding contributions of disaster preparedness professionals to our state and nation, across government, business and community sectors.
I thank Resilient Australia for shining a light on these high achieving South Australians, whose work does not otherwise always receive the recognition it deserves, taking place as it does largely behind the scenes.
The diversity of award winners and the work they do points to the sheer breadth of what good disaster preparedness looks like.
I thank the SAFECOM team for co-ordinating the awards and the judging panel for their exacting task.
I send my best wishes for our award winners to do well in the National Resilient Australia Awards later this year.
Importantly, I thank those who took the time to nominate an individual or organisation because by highlighting achievement we can encourage others.
To our awardees - together, you are making our state and nation a safer place to be, and for this I thank you.