Vol. 9 Issue 4. 2018

The Devastation of Drought
Aug-Oct 2018 Vol 9

CONTENTS
Editor’s Note
2
Latest Events
• SES Week
• Police Week
Our Farmers need us
Drought related stress
Prepare for bushfire season
Drought, Wind & Heat
My Health Record - the debate
Lockout Laws keep emergency
rooms free
Rural Australia faces volunteer
crisis
AFP wraps up the Comm Games
Artifical Intelligence & Policing
Emergency Contact Information
3
4
6
10
12
16
18
26
28
31
34
39
Cracked riverbed in South Australia
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EDITORS NOTE
IN THE GRIP OF DROUGHT
This latest edition of the
Australian Emergency Services
Magazine sees us in the grip of one
of the worst droughts and another
early fire season predicted. With
the driest Autumn on record since
Federation we look set to have the
perfect conditions for summer
bushfires.
There are many ways to lend your
support to our farmers. In states
like New South Wales, about 99
per cent of farmers are dealing
with drought conditions and are
not producing enough food to
feed their animals.
Some farmers are spending about
$7500 to get one trailer of hay to
help feed their animals.
Generous Australians are
supporting fundraising campaigns
to help farmers pay for the
massive cost of keeping their
animals alive.
A fundraising concert, Hay Mate:
Buy a Bale — A Concert For The
Farmers, will be held at Scully
Park in Tamworth on October
27. The concert will feature John
Farnham and Guy Sebastian.
Other ways to support the farmers
are to sponsor food hampers, care
packs, store vouchers and feed
through Drought Angels. The Red
Cross runs a Disaster Relief and
Recovery Fund, these funds will be
distributed to areas of most need.
Help buy hay, water, groceries and
diesel through Buy a Bale. There
are many pubs and clubs that have
run Parma for a Farmer, where
2
proceeds are distrubuted back to
farmers in need. Look around
online and in your local area for
ways you can donate and help.
This month we celebrate SES
week around the country and
Police Week. Look out for events
in your local area to show your
support and give thanks to the
efforts of these emergency services
personnel. These types of events
create opportunities to connect
with the people who are there
for us in our greatest need, many
risking thier own lives to protect
ours and our loved ones.
Buy a Bale! and Happy reading,
Emma Parker
Editor

LATEST NEWS
CELEBRATE SES WEEK
Each year, the spotlight shines on
the spirit of volunteering during
SES Week. Each state runs its own
celebrations and events.
We are given the opportunity
to learn more about the SES
and recognise the efforts of SES
Members in their local community
during this momentous week.
It is a week of community
education, engagement and
celebration.
SES Week 2018 will run from
Saturday 20 October 2018 to
Sunday 28 October 2018.
It is an excellent opportunity
to raise public awareness of the
dedication and commitment of
SES members and the invaluable
services they perform within their
communities.
The celebrations include
award ceremonies held statewide
throughout SES Week
and for QLD culminating in
the Queensland State Awards
Ceremony in Brisbane on
Saturday 27 October 2018.
The award ceremonies provide
a rare opportunity to say thank
you to particular SES members
that have clocked up several
years of service, or to those that
have undertaken their role in an
exceptional way.
SES Groups will hold events
throughout SES Week to celebrate
3
all that is great about SES
volunteers. For information about
SES events that are happening in
your state please phone an Area
Office near you.
Each state has its own SES website
with information on local events
and happenings and ways to keep
yourself safe.
Get involved this SES week
to show your support for the
amazing volunteers that are there
for us in times of need.

LATEST NEWS
15 - 29th September 2018
The Police Federation Australia
will be holding its inaugural Police
Week in September 2018.
Bookended by the Wall to Wall:
Ride for Remembrance and the
National Police Remembrance
Day; the event aims to draw the
policing community together to
participate to honor those officers
who have paid the ultimate
sacrifice.
Providing a unique opportunity
to meet others who work in law
enforcement, Australia’s Police
Week 2018 will draw together
supporters of policing from
across the country, in a range of
formal and informal activities. It
is envisaged that Police Week will
become a major event on the law
enforcement calendar.
While a focus will be on the
National Police Memorial
in Canberra, from 15 – 29
September, jurisdictions across
the country will be holding events
under the auspice of Police Week.
Events that will be held during
Police Week 2018 include the
Wall to Wall, a 100km Century
Bike Ride, the inaugural Bravery
Awards, a Police Summit as well
as the 2018 PFA Federal Council
Meeting.
The National Police Bravery
Awards will be held on the 19th
September. The Australian Police
Bravery Awards is an award for
police by police, that transcends
state and jurisdictional divides;
making the recipients truly
national heroes. Nominations for
this award have already closed.
The men and women who
choose to dedicate thier lives to
the profession of policing truly
are exceptional. It is the type of
profession that requires you to
go to work each day not knowing
what the day will bring. These
4
brave men and women put thier
lives on the line each day.
Police Week and the events that
will occur from the 15th - 29th
September provide an opportunity
to celebrate police on duty today
and those that have risked and lost
thier lives whilst on duty.
For more information about each
event visit www.pfa.org.au
Here you will find links to the
police week website and to each
event and a history of how the
Ride for Rememberance was
envisioned and then created.

5
LATEST NEWS

6

Our Farmers need us
- In Good Times and Bad
By Jackie Schirmer, Dominic Peel, Ivan Charles Hanigan & Kimberly Brown
University of Canberra
With the New South Wales
government announcing that drought
is now affecting the entire state, the
federal government’s crisis assistance
payments have been described
by some as too little, too late. The
National Farmers Federation has
renewed its calls for a national
drought policy and drought experts
have expressed concern about reliance
on emergency handouts.
With droughts predicted to grow in
frequency and severity in the future,
we need to support farmers and
their communities to adapt to these
changes.
To best support the well-being of
farmers and farming communities,
we need to support them not just
when they are in the middle of a
drought, but also when the rain
comes and the dust has settled. An
emergency response is important,
but on its own is not enough - our
farming communities deserve
more. It needs to be accompanied
by long-term coordinated support,
delivered through the whole drought
cycle, that helps farmers prepare for
drought, cope with drought when
it is happening, and recover rapidly
afterwards.
Prolonged droughts harm the health
and well-being of people in farming
communities, although research also
shows that not everyone is affected
to the same extent, and some not at
all. This means we need to learn from
past experience in choosing what
actions represent the best and most
effective investments.
Providing farmers with emergency
assistance when drought is at its
worst helps to alleviate the most acute
hardship. But multiple inquiries and
research studies have concluded that
this approach is not enough.
To truly support the well-being of
farming communities facing the
threat of drought, we need to invest
more in actions that support their
7
preparedness and resilience before
drought hits, rather than waiting until
conditions are at their worst before
offering help.
The hydro-illogical cycle
Doing this requires breaking the
“hydro-illogical cycle”, in which a
severe drought triggers short-term
concern and assistance, followed by
a return to apathy and complacency
once the rains return. When drought
drops off the public and media radar,
communities are often left with little
or no support to invest in preparing
for the next inevitable drought.
Farmers need proactive, long-term
access to drought preparedness
schemes well in advance, before
the effects of drought begin to bite.
Farmers who use programs such
as the farm management deposits
scheme, which allows them to put
aside surplus income in good years
and draw on it in difficult ones, have
higher well-being during droughts

than those who access emergency
assistance provided during drought.
Our research has also identified some
other ways to protect farmers’ wellbeing
during challenging times. These
include investing in forward planning
for drought, supporting farmers to
invest in “drought-proofing” measures
suitable to their farm, and creating
networks through which farmers can
share their knowledge about what
works to cope best with the financial,
psychological and social challenges
they face.
These things are not a “fix” for
drought; a drought will always have
significant impacts. But they can help
reduce the severity of impacts, and
the time taken to recover. However, to
really be effective, these actions need
to be invested in between droughts,
in addition to investing in emergency
support during drought.
We can learn a lot from the actions
that farmers are already taking.
Thousands of farmers have spent
years investing in drought resilience,
for example by changing pasture types
and water management practices, and
by changing how they plan for and
manage periods of low rainfall.
This investment often goes
unsupported and unrecognised, and
has to be done among the everpresent
pressures of challenging
market conditions, low profit margins,
rising costs, the need to repay debts
incurred in the last drought or flood,
and the myriad daily pressures of
farming. We need to better reward
farmers who make these investments,
and to offer incentives for continued
investment in this type of action
between droughts.
One investment being made by
many farmers across Australia is the
adoption of regenerative farming,
in which the entire farming system
is re-oriented with a goal of better
using natural ecosystem processes
to support production, and of better
matching production to land capacity
through different climatic conditions.
Early research findings suggest that
engaging in regenerative farming
can improve drought resilience.
But shifting to use of this approach
to farming takes a lot of time and
investment; before asking farmers to
make fundamental changes to the way
they farm, we need more research that
critically examines when, where and
how different farming systems can
help safeguard against drought.
As well as helping farmers invest
in actions to increase resilience to
drought, we also need to consider
the best ways to support those who
are suffering severe psychological
and financial stress. For many
farmers, supporting them to cope
with drought and stay in farming is
the best decision. But for others, the
best decision can be to leave farming
altogether.
The decision to leave farming is
understandably one of the most
challenging times in a farmer’s life,
and often happens when their wellbeing
is low and they are experiencing
psychological distress. This means
that the quality of help they receive
during this time can make a big
difference in how well they cope.
Services such as the Rural Financial
Counselling Service have a vital role
to play at all times (before, during
and after drought) in giving advice
to farmers weighing up the agonising
decision to stay or leave.
If you want to help farmers, keep
supporting relief funds – they provide
essential help during the worst of
drought. But also tell your local
politician that you support investment
in long-term programs that help
farmers improve their resilience to
the next drought, and the one after
that, and that recognise and reward
the investments farmers are already
making in doing this.
If we truly have our farmers’ wellbeing
at heart, we should be taking
drought action in wet years as well as
dry, and in good times as well as bad.
8

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9

Drought Related Stress
For farmers, drought is a
major source of stress. Their
livelihoods and communities
depend on the weather. To
better support farmers and their
families we need to better understand
the impact of drought on them and
their communities.
Our research, published today in the
Medical Journal of Australia, found
young farmers who live and work
on farms in isolated areas and are in
financial hardship are the most likely
to experience personal droughtrelated
psychological stress.
What our study found
To examine farmers’ mental health
during droughts, we examined data
from the Australian Rural Mental
Health Study and rainfall conditions
in the months before farmers
completed the survey.
Importantly, the study covered the
period of the Millennium Drought,
which had devastating environmental,
social and economic impacts on
much of southeast Australia from
1997 to 2010. The study captured
both drought and wet conditions,
which enables comparisons between
farmers’ mental health under different
climate conditions.
The study included 664 farmers from
inner and outer regional, remote
and very remote New South Wales.
Farmers were defined as: (i) people
who lived on a farm; (ii) people who
worked on a farm; and (iii) people
who lived and worked on a farm.
The gender distribution of the
participants was equal and the
majority were 55-64 years old.
Of the three groups investigated,
farmers who both lived and worked
on a farm reported more droughtrelated
impacts and concerns.
Moderately dry conditions were
related to the highest scores for
drought-related concerns and general
psychological distress.
Interestingly, higher levels of droughtrelated
concerns were also reported
following mild to moderate wet
conditions. This is possibly related
to much of the study area receiving
very high spring rainfall during 2010
and suggests drought-related mental
health impacts persist beyond the end
of the drought.
A range of social, demographic
and community factors influenced
the personal impact of drought for
farmers:
Isolation plays a large role in the rural
context. Farmers in outer regional,
remote and very remote NSW
experienced higher levels of concern
about drought. Remoteness can mean
people aren’t able to engage as much
in social networks, which are essential
for building resilience.
Financial hardship is increasing in
rural areas but many people don’t seek
financial assistance due to stigma and
ingrained stoicism. Younger farmers
may also be particularly impacted
by less financial security than older
farmers.
Age matters too. Farmers under the
age of 35 experienced higher personal
drought-related stress.
What can we do about it?
Protracted drought is a rare but
recurring element of the Australian
climate. Whatever the cause, future
10
drought is inevitable.
Drought impacts are different from
“rapid” climate extremes such as
bushfires, floods or cyclones. So
drought planning and preparedness
needs to consider the impacts of
drought on mental health and wellbeing
differently to the way in which
we prepare for and respond to “rapid”
climate extremes.
We know “rapid” climate extremes
can have devastating impacts through
loss of life, injury and other threats to
communities. The effects can be acute
or long-term. While many people
cope and adapt to rapid climate
extremes, we know a substantial
proportion will go on to develop
mental health problems as a result.
Much less is known about chronic,
slow-onset climate extremes such as
protracted drought. The unfamiliarity,
unpredictability and longevity of
drought have substantial personal and
social consequences over time. The
mechanisms for such impacts are not
as well known as for “rapid” climate
extremes.
Our findings suggest the disruption
to community viability, the financial
strain, loss of property and stock, and
impact on future personal hopes are
likely to play a role.
Supporting rural communities,
and especially farmers, to cope
with droughts can have benefits for
their well-being and mental health.
Strengthening personal, financial and
social support for farmers may help in
adapting to droughts when droughtrelated
stress is affecting their mental
health.
General practitioners are uniquely
placed to support farmers
experiencing persistent worry that is

affecting their day-to-day functioning.
But it’s often trusted people who
engage with farmers regularly, such as
rural financial counsellors and vets,
who occupy first responder roles.
Insights from our study are useful for
informing the practical steps required
to improve farmers’ mental health.
These include:
• reducing stigma about mental
health problems to overcome
barriers to seeking professional
help and advice early
• professional help to be more
readily available and easier to
access in rural and remote areas
(such as e-health programs)
• professional education for all
health services, including general
practitioners, so they can look
out for and address the effects
of drought-related stress – they
need a good understanding of
the pressures facing farmers and
farming communities and the
ways they can be more alert to
their needs
• community education and public
health campaigns so farmers and
rural residents can identify the
effects of drought-related stress
and take appropriate action
• education and training for nonmedical
agricultural support
services, such as rural financial
counsellors, who need to be able
to confidently identify early signs
of drought-related stress and
provide appropriate support
• continued funding of Rural
Adversity Mental Health
Program coordinators who link
rural and remote residents to
services and provide community
education and support
• better opportunities and
encouragement to maintain and
develop community connections
and social networks
• reasonably priced and reliable
internet access to enable
increased use of e-health and
relieve isolation
• transparent and consistent
information about the processes
farmers need to follow to access
grants and loans. Farmers should
be able to apply for financial
support when it’s needed
rather than having to fit in with
government budget cycles and
deadlines. Efficient processing
of grant and loan applications is
needed to minimise the period
of uncertainty and stress while
waiting for the outcome.
University of Newcastle
First published on
The Conversation
Emma Austin
Anthony Kiem
Brian Kelly
David Perkins
Jane Rich
Tonelle Handley
11

PREPARE FOR THE SEASON
Getting ready for a bush fire is easier than you think. By taking 20 minutes with your family
to discuss what you’ll do during a fire, you could save their lives, as well as your home. Many
households find that having a discussion over dinner works best as everybody is together and
focussed. There are simple things you can do around your home to prepare it for a bush fire,
like keeping the grass low and having a cleared area around your home. If there is a fire in your
area you will find its alert level on your local government website or the ‘Fires Near Me’ app.
You need to keep track of the alert level so you know what you should do. In a bush fire, it’s
important that you stay up to date on conditions in your area.
LEAVING EARLY OR PREPARING TO STAY
One of the most important
things to do before a bush fire is
to decide what you’ll do if one
should start.
If you plan to leave for a safer
place - where will you go and
how will you get there? Your safer
place could be with friends and
family, and may not be far away.
Know where you will go and
never ‘wait and see’.
Decide to stay only if you are well
prepared. Before you start, ask
your household:
• Is your home well prepared
to make it as safe as possible
during a fire?
• Are we putting anyone in our
family at risk by staying? For
example children, the elderly,
or people with asthma.
• Will we cope in an emergency
situation? In a fire, it will be
hot, smoky and physically
draining. Even trained
firefighters can find it
challenging.
If you’re not sure or aren’t
prepared, you should leave early.
DECIDE TO STAY, BUT
BE PREPARED
Defending your home from a
bush fire can be challenging
and you will need the right
equipment. Check off all the
equipment you will need in a
bush fire emergency.
Remember, while firefighters
and emergency services will
do everything they can to
help you, there’s no guarantee
that there will be a fire truck
available when you need it.
If you decide to stay with
your property, it’s your
responsibility to be prepared.
12

ARE YOU AND
YOUR FAMILY AT
RISK?
WHAT WILL YOU
DO TO KEEP
SAFE?
QUESTIONS TO ASK
YOURSELF
PREPARE YOUR BUSHFIRE
SURVIVAL PLAN
All state government websites have
downloadable copies of bushfire
survival plans. These guides will
give you checklists and points of
discussion to go over with your
household.
Look up bushfire safety on your state
government website to find out more.
When will we leave? Where will we go? How will we get
there? What will we take?
Who will we call to tell that we’re leaving and that we have
arrived safely?
What is our backup plan?
Neighbourhood safe places are a place of last resort, such
as a sports ground or local building that has been specially
identified for use during a fire.
Contact your local area to find out about
neighbourhood safe places.
IF YOU DECIDE TO
STAY ASK THESE QUESTIONS
Do we have all the equipment we need?
When there is a fire, what is our sign to start
defending our home?
Do we know what to do BEFORE, DURING and
AFTER a fire?
Do all members of our household KNOW WHAT
TO DO in all situations?
What is our backup plan?
13

EQUIPMENT CHECKLIST
FIREFIGHTING EQUIPMENT WE
WILL NEED:
A hose, or hoses, that can reach all around
the house
Water supply of at least 10,000L e.g. water
tank, dam, pool
Petrol/diesel water pump and fuel in a
safe, accessible place
Ladders to access inside the roof
Buckets and mops
Shovels and metal rakes
PROTECTIVE CLOTHING
Wide-brimmed hat
Eye protection goggles
IT’S NOT SAFE TO STAY WITH YOUR
PROPERTY UNDER SOME CIRCUMSTANCES,
LIKE:
• If the fire danger rating is Catastrophic.
• There is an Extreme fire danger rating and your home is not
specially designed or constructed for bush fires.
• Your property is not well maintained.
• You or the people in your home aren’t mentally and physically
fit and ready.
Under these circumstances, you should leave early.
Remember that bush and grass fires can move quickly and
catch you off guard. If you are caught in a fire, protect yourself
from the heat.
The safest option is to leave early before the fire reaches you.
Moistened facemask or cloth
Loose, long sleeved cotton shirt
Gloves
Long cotton pants/jeans
Sturdy leather shoes or boots
PREPARE YOUR HOME AND
PROPERTY
TRIM
Trim overhanging trees and shrubs. This can stop
the fire spreading to your home.
MOW
Mow grass and remove the cuttings. Have a cleared
area around your home.
REMOVE
Remove material that can burn around your home
(e.g. Door mats, wood piles, mulch, leaves, paint,
outdoor furniture).
ACTION CHECKLIST
Defending your home can be physically and
mentally demanding. It’s important that everyone
knows exactly what to do if a fire happens.
BEFORE
(well before the fire has arrived)
OUTSIDE:
Turn off gas mains and/or bottle
Move flammable items away from the house
Block drain pipes with socks full of sand and fill
gutters with water. Don’t get on the roof to hose it
down
CLEAR
Clear and remove all the debris and leaves from the
gutters surrounding your home. Burning embers
can set your home on fire.
PREPARE
Prepare a sturdy hose or hoses that will reach all
around your home. Make sure
you’ve got a reliable source of water.
14

Move animals to a well-grazed
or ploughed area away from the
house and wind
Patrol the house well before the
fire arrives to put out embers and
spot fires
As the fire approaches, wet the
side of the house and garden that
faces the fire
Move your firefighting equipment
to a place where it won’t burn
inside
INSIDE:
Close doors, windows and vents
Fill baths, sinks, buckets and bins
with water
Confine pets to one room
Place ladder next to roof access
hole so you can check for spot fires
Soak towels and rugs
and lay them across external
doorways
Move furniture away from windows
DURING
(as the fire is upon you)
If flames are on top of you or the
heat become unbearable move inside
until the fire front has passed
(usually 5-10 minutes)
Patrol the inside of the house,
including roof space, looking
for sparks and embers
Shelter in a room on the opposite
side of the house from the
approaching fire and ensure you
have clear access to an exit
AFTER
(immediately after the
fire has passed)
Check the house both inside and
out for fires, including roof cavity,
under the house, deck, stairs, windowsills
etc
If possible, and safe to do so, check
all your neighbours are OK
Contact relatives or friends to tell
them you are safe
Patrol your home for several
hours, looking for small fires and
burning embers

There are some simple things you
can do around your home to prepare
it for a bush fire. You need to
prepare well beforehand as leaving
it to the last minute is too late.
KNOW YOUR RISK
A bush or grass fire can happen at
any time of the year but the risk is
higher during the warmer months,
when bush, grass or scrub is drier.
You don’t have to live right near
the bush to be at risk. Even if your
home is a few streets back, you
may be at risk.
You can check for bush fire prone
areas in your area on your local
council website. Look for your
Bush Fire Prone Land Map.
There are a number of things
which can affect the way a fire
burns, including:
Slope – a fire travelling uphill
will travel faster. In fact, for every
10 degrees of slope, a fire can
double its speed. As a fire speeds
up, it becomes more intense and
more dangerous.
Vegetation – smaller items
such as twigs, branches and leaves
are known as ‘fine fuels’. These can
burn very easily. Burning bark,
twigs and leaves can also be blown
in the wind.
Weather – when it’s hot, dry
and windy, fires can be more
intense and unpredictable. Strong
winds can send a fire in different
directions and cause burning
embers to be blown through the
air.
Fires Near Me App
Google Play
AppStore
State of New South Wales (NSW
Rural Fire Service).
15

Drought, Wind & Heat
The New South Wales Rural Fire
Service declared the earliest total
fire bans in its history this week. The
entire state was declared to be in
drought on the same day.
The combination of winter drought
and hot, dry weather has made
dangerous fires increasingly likely.
Already this week two fires on the
south coast have escaped containment
lines and destroyed houses. The
weather during these fires was 6
degrees warmer than the August
average, dry and extremely windy. The
wind speed peaked at 104 kilometres
an hour in Bega and 85km/h in
Nowra, two towns close to where fires
broke out.
Under these conditions, bushfires
will spread quickly, produce large
numbers of embers and are hard to
stop.
Our fire seasons now start earlier
and last longer. This means we’re
16
increasingly likely to see repeats of
historically large fires threatening
residential areas.
Fire seasons are longer
Current dry conditions are reflected
in the maps of live fuel moisture
produced by Dr Rachael Nolan of
Western Sydney University.
This method tracks the weekly
moisture content of the forests in
southern Australia, as observed by

NASA’s MODIS satellite. The latest
map shows a patchy distribution of
dry areas and a drying trend over
recent weeks.
It looks like NSW’s fire season has
already started, and it’s likely to
be bad. Last year’s fire season also
extended well into autumn, with
serious bushfires burning in mid-
April.
Fire agencies usually enjoy a sixmonth
break from bushfires between
April and September, but this year
they had only three months’ respite.
This reflects evidence of a trend
toward more extreme fire weather
over the past 30 years, and
lengthening fire seasons.
This problem is being keenly felt in
western United States, where fire
agencies have warned that the fire
season now lasts all year round. Not
only that, there is clear evidence
climate change is increasing fire
activity in the United States; the
record for the largest fire in California
history has been broken two years in
a row.
Alarming precedents
The most damaging fire season for
NSW in the past 30 years was in
October 2013 when the Linksview
fire destroyed 200 houses in the Blue
Mountains.
The build-up to that season was eerily
similar to this year, with a winter
drought and bushfires in September,
but the moisture maps show that the
forests are drier now than at the same
time in 2013, and we have already
seen serious bushfires in August.
As we move into September and
October, the weather will warm,
which means any remaining moisture
in the ground and plants will
evaporate even faster than at present,
and fires will be more intense and
spread faster. The only thing that will
reduce the risk is soaking rain of at
least 100mm.
Whether or not that will occur in the
next two months is almost impossible
to predict. At the moment it seems
unlikely. The Bureau of Meteorology’s
latest seasonal forecast, issued on
August 16, considers it likely that dry
conditions will persist for the next
three months.
The heightened risk of bushfire this
season should be a wake-up call for
residents in bushfire-prone areas.
Most people in really risky areas
such as the Blue Mountains are well
prepared, but many people who are a
little more removed from the forests
are not aware of the risk.
For example, many residents of
Wollongong probably don’t know this
October is the 50th anniversary of
the great 1968 fires that swept down
the Illawarra Escarpment into the
suburbs of Figtree, Bulli, Austinmer
and others.
If the same footprint of fire were to
occur again, some 5,000 houses would
be affected. The present indicators
suggest a repeat of this event is more
likely than at any time for decades.
Residents need to prepare a bushfire
survival plan, which includes a
decision on whether to stay and
defend or to leave as soon as they
learn about a nearby bushfire.
Current research at University of
Wollongong suggests that the biggest
influence on the risk of house loss
during a bushfire is the actions
that the residents themselves take.
This includes ensuring that natural
and man-made fuels are kept to a
minimum in the garden, especially
close to the house, and also defending
the house from spot-fires caused by
embers.
The Rural Fire Service has a wealth of
advice for preparing for bushfires on
its website.
We’re look at a torrid upcoming fire
season, dependent on the vagaries of
the Australian climate. Either way,
now is the time for people to brace
themselves and get prepared.
Owen Price
Senior Research Fellow, Centre for
Environmental Risk Management of
Bushfires, University of Wollongong
Traumatic Stress Clinic
Sydney Australia
()
02 8627 3314
@
17

MY HEALTH RECORD
OPT OUT? or OPT IN?
The My Health Record opt-out period has begun, and you have
until November 15 to decide whether or not to be part of the
scheme. You can read the case for opting out or opting in of My
Health Record here
18

The Case for Opting In written by Jim Gillespie, University of Sydney
The Case for Opting Out written by Katherine Kemp, Bruce Baer Arnold & David Valle -
UNSW & University of Canberra
First published on The Conversation
19

The My Health Record
(MHR) system promises
to make Australia a
leader in providing
citizens with access to
their own health records.
The scheme gives health care
professionals access to information
on your medications and allergies,
immunisation records, summaries of
hospital and GP care, investigation
reports, and advance care plans.
This information could save lives
in emergencies by providing health
workers with information about
drug allergies, medications, and
medical history. Better continuity in
the management of this information
would help reduce the 27% of clinical
incidents in Australian hospitals
currently caused by medication
(mis)management.
expensive disasters in building
e-health systems from the top
down. E-health appeared to serve
the interests of administrators, not
clinicians and patients.
Not surprisingly, patients showed
little interest. British critics of a
similar expensive failure
warned:
We need fewer grand
plans and more learning
communities.
The system had a rocky start
Launched in 2012 as the Personally
Controlled Electronic Health Record
(PCEHR), the system was plagued by
technical failures and cost overruns.
Take-up was low.
After five years, only 20% of
consumers had opted in. Even
more seriously, there was limited
interest from health professionals –
particularly GPs and pharmacists who
deal with patients most often.
Faced with the low patient take-up
and limited training or information,
health professionals saw little reason
to waste time on an unwieldy system.
This mirrored international
experience. Many countries suffered
The Australian experience has run
the full gamut from failed top-down
“grand plan” to a version that is more
responsive to consumers and health
professionals.
Linking up the fragmented health
system
Large trials in the Nepean-Blue
Mountains and North Queensland
Primary Health Networks tested a
more user-friendly system. In both
trials, the opt-out rate was low:
less than 2%. The engagement of
clinicians also increased.
In the Blue Mountains fewer than
15% of GPs had registered with the
20

PCEHR. By the end of the trial, with
extensive education and training, this
figure has risen to 70%.
MHR offers new possibilities for
linking up the fragmented health
system, making it easier to navigate.
Just as importantly, it can help you to
become more informed and engaged
with your own health care. And better
health literacy is a necessary step in
shifting the balance of the system
towards patients.
The Consumers’ Health Forum – a
supporter of MHR – has stated that
patients are:
…more likely to give permission to
share their data if they understand
how their data will be used and any
benefits that will come from its use.
However, active participation in MHR
will remain a challenge for many
people, especially those who struggle
with digital literacy.
Addressing security concerns
Any system that contains health
information must be built on trust.
Most of the criticisms of MHR rest on
fears of inappropriate use or hacking
of data.
However, critics have not pointed to
any breach of the PCHR in its five
years of operation. Rather, examples
are often drawn from commercial
operations which have succumbed to
the temptation to commercialise data
– an offence that could lead to prison
under MHR.
Uncertainty is inherent in many
facets of modern life, such as the use
of credit card information for online
purchases. Most surveys of popular
attitudes towards the use of digital
health information has shown a
consistent, but nuanced concern.
Concerns identified in the two
major trials were mainly focused on
individuals’ lack of computer skills.
But almost all consumers thought
the benefits greatly outweighed any
potential privacy risks.
The system will only succeed if
concerns about protection of
confidentiality are respected. A weak
link is the digital skills and awareness
of health practitioners, particularly
GPs.
A large amount of health data is
already out there in Medicare Benefits
Schedule (MBS) and Pharmaceutical
Benefits Scheme (PBS) data, the
Australian Immunisation Register,
and the Australian Organ Donor
Register. These data are increasingly
linked together, with great potential
benefits. Data from Medicare, hospital
records and other sources can be
linked to improve our knowledge of
causes of diseases and risk factors,
and the best forms of intervention.
MHR is a step toward empowering
patients
Our health system suffers from a
deficit of transparency. Patients are
locked out of knowledge of how the
21

system works – from the confusion
around private health insurance plans
to undisclosed out-of-pocket costs for
medical procedures.
Rather than protesting about a horse
that has long since bolted, we need
more scrutiny and improvement of
current systems.
MHR is a small step towards
empowering patients with greater
knowledge about their health.
Pressures to present records in terms
that are comprehensible to consumers
may even take us towards interactive
“learning communities” – the basis
of a more people-centred health
system. Better-informed patients can
enable more effective communication
and mutual learning from health
professionals.
If you choose not to opt out of MHR,
a record will be created for you
automatically. You can log into the
system to set controls on who has
access to your data and set restrictions
on the types of data that will be
included. You can change your mind
at any time and close access to your
data.
OPT OUT?
If you don’t opt out during this period
and later choose to cancel your
record, you will no longer be able to
access that record but the government
will continue to store it until 30 years
after your death. You will need to
trust that it will not be breached.
There are three main problems with
the MHR scheme.
1. It can’t be relied upon as a clinical
record
Contrary to what many Australians
may believe, MHR is not a clinicallyreliable
medical record, and was
not designed to be. It is not up-todate
and comprehensive. As the
Office of the Australian Information
Commissioner (OAIC) points out:
The My Health Record system
contains an online summary of a
patient’s key health information; not
a complete record of their clinical
history.
If, for example, a doctor were treating
a child in an emergency, the doctor
could not rely on an MHR to know
what medications the child has been
prescribed up to that date. In an
emergency, an unreliable record is a
distraction, not a help.
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Many doctors have in fact objected to
the incompleteness and lack of utility
of the MHR. A recent poll on the
AMA’s doctors portal suggests 76% of
respondents think the MHR will not
improve patient outcomes while 12%
think it will.
Notwithstanding this fundamental
deficiency, the government is pushing
ahead with an inherently risky
scheme.
2. It creates a security risk
If you read the very long (7,800
words) privacy policy for MHR, you’ll
see that the Australian Digital Health
Agency (ADHA) itself states there are
risks from the online transmission
and storage of our personal
information in this system.
Health data is prized by hackers
We have witnessed a stream of
health data breaches in Australia and
overseas, and the incentives for these
breaches are only increasing.
Storing records digitally with
online access greatly increases their
accessibility for criminals, hackers
and snoopers. Health records are
valuable as a means of identity
theft due to the wealth of personal
information they contain. They are a
huge prize for hackers, fetching a high
price on the Dark Web.
You won’t know who has seen it
It won’t just be your doctor who
has access to this centralised digital
record of your personal health
information. The default position
is that numerous people will have
access – doctors, pharmacists,
physiotherapists, nurses, and
unidentified staff of various
organisations.
MHR’s access-logging system does
not track which individuals are
accessing records, only institutions,
which means you won’t be able to
tell who has seen it. Even without
a technical hack, that will make
it almost impossible to keep your
information secure in this system.
De-identification is risky
The government is also planning
to allow access to your health
information for research purposes by
“de-identifying” your information.
That means the data should not
be able to be linked to a particular
individual. But the national
government has a bad record for
successfully de-identifying health
information.
In 2016, the government released a
data set that included information
on a large number of patients
spanning 30 years. It was meant
to be de-identified. IT researchers
at Melbourne University quickly
demonstrated it could be re-identified
and linked to the individuals
concerned. Such re-identification risk
will only grow, as data sets proliferate
and tools get smarter.
Third-party access jeopardises
security
MHR also permits external health
apps to access your records.
According to the legislation, this
should only be done with your
consent.
Unfortunately, and predictably,
health apps are already securing
“consent” through obscure, standard
form contracts so you might not be
aware the app owner could sell your
sensitive medical information to
others.
Last month, the ABC revealed one
such health app (HealthEngine)
was selling patient information to
law firms, so patients with serious
conditions and injuries were
contacted repeatedly by strangers
pushing them to pursue legal claims.
Many didn’t know how their sensitive
medical information was revealed.
The ADHA’s website has published
a report on the woefully inadequate
privacy policies of mental health
apps, and yet these apps might be
authorised to access your MHR data
with your supposed consent.
3. An ‘opt-out’ scheme goes against
best practice
Critically, the opt-out consent
mechanism for MHR flies in the face
of global best practice for informed
consent – and our own federal
privacy regulator’s guidelines on the
sort of consent necessary for use of
health information.
Consent for use of personal
information should be express, fully
23

informed, easy to understand, and should require
action on the part of the individual.
MHR disregards all of those principles.
MHR does not seek your express consent. Instead,
if you do not take the necessary steps before 15
October, your health records will automatically be
copied, stored and shared.
You will also not be fully informed. There will be no
national television, radio or print media campaign to
advertise the MHR scheme, which many Australians
have misunderstood in the past. The government
will not even send you a letter to tell you about this
scheme, let alone its very serious risks.
By contrast, the OAIC says organisations seeking
individual consent to use personal information
should generally:
What will happen to our private medical information?
… ensure that an individual is properly and clearly
informed about how their personal information
will be handled, so they can decide whether to give
consent.
and:
… seek express consent from an individual before
handling the individual’s sensitive information, given
the greater privacy impact this could have.
Even if implied consent were acceptable (and it is
not), the OAIC states further that an organisation:
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… should not assume that an individual has
consented to a collection, use or disclosure that
appears to be advantageous to that person. Nor
can an entity establish implied consent by asserting
that if the individual knew about the benefits of the
collection, use or disclosure, they would probably
consent to it.
Read more: App technology can fix the e-health
system if done right
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The time to opt-out is now
MHR is likely to create very limited benefits for
many, if not most, Australians. It creates unacceptable
security risks for our most sensitive personal
information. And the government’s method of
obtaining “consent” goes against international best
practice.
If the MHR scheme were properly advertised, fully
explained and Australians given a choice whether
to opt-in, Australians could make an informed
choice about whether the limited benefits justify the
substantial risks to their sensitive information.
Those concerned about the security of their health
information will need to take steps now to remove
themselves from the MHR system.

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Lock Out Laws
Room
The emergency room at Sydney’s St
Vincent’s Hospital has seen a 10%
reduction in the incidence of fractures
that are often caused by a punch
to the face over the two years since
the so-called “lockout laws” were
introduced.
Published in the Medical Journal of
Australia (MJA), the results indicate
alcohol restrictions in inner Sydney
have effectively reduced numbers of
violent alcohol-related injuries.
The controversial 2014 NSW Liquor
Amendment Act aimed to reduce
alcohol-related violence by restricting
access to alcohol in Sydney’s Kings
Cross and the CBD entertainment
precinct. The changes involved
stopping alcohol service in pubs and
clubs by 3am and a 1.30am “lockout”
(to stop people entering the venue), as
well as restrictions on takeaway sales
after 10pm.
It’s actually the closing time of the
venue that has the bigger impact
(rather than the lockout itself), so
early last drinks is a better name than
“lockout laws”.
The MJA study looked at the rates of
alcohol-related orbital (eye socket)
fractures before and after the changes
to alcohol access. There were 27
fewer fractures that required surgical
management during the period of
the laws. That’s an estimated total
saving of nearly half a million dollars
26
in hospital, ambulance and other
medical costs.
Some orbital fractures can be
considered minor injuries. But in
2016, some of the same authors
found a 25% reduction in major
alcohol-related injuries (such as the
so-called “one punch” injuries) in
the 12 months after the laws were
introduced. Such injuries often result
in doctors such as myself having to
tell parents their child may have a
serious head injury or possibly be
brain dead.
This latest research adds to
compelling evidence from Australia
and internationally that demonstrates
restricting access to alcohol by closing

Reduce Emergency
Visits
Diana Egerton-Warburton, Associate Professor, Monash University
drinking venues early reduces serious
assaults and injuries.
A Norwegian study showed the
effect in both directions when towns
changed opening hours of pubs and
clubs after 1am. Alcohol-related
assaults increased by almost 20% per
hour with increased opening hours,
and vice versa with early last drinks.
The biggest and most comprehensive
study internationally on alcoholrelated
presentations to EDs, which
include intoxication and other
emergencies besides injuries, found
almost one in ten of all attendances
were alcohol-related. That equates to
a staggering half a million patients
every year presenting to Australian
EDs with alcohol-related harm. The
economic cost is huge, but the human
cost even bigger.
Emergency department staff are
frequently assaulted by drunk
patients. They frighten and disrupt
the care of other patients, including
children and the elderly. We surveyed
more that 2,000 ED staff in 2014 and
found nine out of ten had experienced
violence from a drunk person in the
emergency department.
The Sydney laws were reviewed in
2016 by Justice Callinan and relaxed
by 30 minutes for the last drinks and
lockouts, and 60 minutes for takeaway
alcohol sales. Research points to
the fact this will result in increased
27
assaults and injuries, both for the
general public and health workers.
The Queensland government recently
introduced early (2am) last drinks
across the state. This will result in
a significant reduction in alcoholrelated
assaults and injuries, as well as
massive cost savings and productivity
gains.
Policymakers in other states and
territories have the ability to turn off
this tap of human misery and injury.
They can’t stop it completely, but
they can reduce it dramatically by
introducing early last drinks.

RURAL AUSTRALIA FACES
VOLUNTEER CRISIS
The small town of Coorow
is located in the wheat-belt
region of Western Australia,
about a three hours drive north of
Perth. With a population of 400
people, the town funds many of its
essential services and community
facilities with money generated
from a community-owned farm.
Residents donate time, equipment
and materials to grow crops on the
110-hectare farm. The money is then
used to support the local primary
school, St John Ambulance service,
local medical centre, a small hotel and
several charitable organisations.
In rural communities like this across
Australia, volunteers are the only
source of many essential services.
Quite simply, without volunteers,
there would be no ambulance
service, fire service or other critical
emergency and support.
Volunteers also play a vital role
in the social fabric of many rural
communities, essential to the running
of social, educational, sporting,
cultural and environmental groups
and activities.
But this support may soon be a
thing of the past. Australia’s rural
communities are facing a looming
volunteering crisis, driven in part
by a rapidly ageing population, and
residents moving away from rural
28

communities. This is combined with
volunteer burnout as the government
defunds essential services in these
areas, leaving volunteers to pick up
the slack.
As the numbers of volunteers dwindle
in these areas, the impact on rural
communities could be devastating.
In some towns, this might mean a
reduction in the number of doctors,
teachers, coaches and counsellors.
Making the situation more urgent is
the rapidly ageing population in rural
Australia, which will only increase the
demand for volunteer services even
further.
With new volunteers difficult to
recruit and government services
lacking, it may prove nearly
impossible to fill the void.
Impact on local communities
To examine how rural communities
will be affected by the loss of so
many volunteers, my colleagues and I
analysed a survey of more than 10,000
people in rural Western Australia,
some of whom live more than
eight hours by car from the nearest
population centres.
Our study found that volunteering
was a way of life in these
communities. Of the non-retired
population, two-thirds were involved
in local volunteering of some sort -
far higher than the national average
of 31%.
Those residents involved in local
volunteering had typically lived
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PO Box 43104
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in rural communities for most, if
not all, of their lives. Many had
children aged six to 12. A majority
also worked on farms or owned
small businesses. Most reported that
volunteering greatly contributed to
their overall happiness and a strong
sense of connectivity with their local
communities.
However, there were signs that the
volunteer base in their communities
was in trouble. The survey revealed
more than 35% of those actively
involved in volunteering were
planning to move away at some
point in the next 10 years. Most
interestingly, more than half of
volunteers said they were leaving
because of the lack of essential
services and the high costs associated
with accessing these services in the
nearest large towns or cities.
When volunteer numbers run low,
community activities are usually the
first to be cut. In Uralla, a small town
near Armidale in New South Wales,
the Uralla District Show had to be
cancelled after 143 years. The event,
which showcased skills like wood
chopping and horse showjumping,
had long relied on volunteers and was
unable to find new recruits to help
organise this year’s show.
For the town of Manjimup in Western
Australia, with a population of 4,000,
a volunteer shortage has resulted in
some essential services being at risk.
The ambulance service, for instance,
is now reliant on volunteers from
the nearby town of Bridgetown.
This involves Bridgetown volunteers
driving some 40kms to Manjimup,
then transferring patients to the
regional hospital in Bunbury another
130kms away before driving 100kms
back to their homes.
While the Bridgetown volunteers have
been happy to lend a hand, the extra
work still places immense pressure on
their own community of 1,500 people.
For remote towns like these, a new
strategy is desperately needed to
reduce dependence on volunteers and
find new models for people to donate
their time.
A first step would be for state
governments to reinvest in local
essential services such as hospitals,
aged care facilities and secondary
education. This would relieve the
pressure on volunteers who now
fill these needs in many places and
allow them to invest their time
and resources in supporting other
community initiatives.
It would also enable rural
communities to retain their younger
and older residents, who oftentimes
have to leave for schooling or aged
care services elsewhere. As younger
people in particular become more
engaged in their communities
through social and economic
activities, the pool of available
volunteers should also increase in the
future.
Local governments could also explore
bringing other types of volunteering
to remote communities. Increasingly,
many people are participating in lowcommitment
forms of volunteering
such as “spontaneous volunteering”
- volunteering in an ad-hoc or
occasional manner. However, many
volunteering roles, particularly in
essential services, require regular
involvement on a week-in, week-out
basis.
Virtual or online volunteering
could also be a potential solution to
volunteer shortages. This has been
particularly helpful for national- or
state-based volunteer groups that
are able to provide services to people
remotely. But again, the nature of
rural volunteering and lack of internet
connectivity in rural areas could limit
the effectiveness of online volunteers.
Most immediately, governments
need to think creatively about
how rural volunteering can be
supported and move away from
city-centric approaches. Policies
should be developed by those most
closely involved with volunteering
- that is, rural residents themselves.
Reducing the red tape around
funding initiatives and allowing
rural communities to explore more
innovate funding schemes would also
almost instantly reduce the workload
and pressure on rural volunteer-based
organisations.
Amanda Davies
Kirsten Holmes
Curtin University
Leonie Lockstone-Binney
William Angliss Institute
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GAMES
SET &
MATCH
AFP calls a wrap on
Commonwealth Games
operations
31

When Australia participates
in major global events,
the AFP is there to keep
Australians safe.
Already this year, the men
and women of the AFP helped
protect our citizens at Anzac Day
commemorations in Turkey and
France, the Winter Olympics and
Paralympics in Korea, and on
home soil in April we were proud
to help deliver a successful and safe
Commonwealth Games on the Gold
Coast.
Critical elements of Games security
was the AFPs’ presence at Gold Coast
Airport, on the surrounding Gold
Coast waterways and in other ‘behind
the scenes’ operations – never straight
forward tasks by any means, and even
more so during times of peak, major
event demand.
The indoor concourse of the airport
is one long hallway, broken up by
baggage carousels, shops, check-in
counters and security checkpoints.
The Commonwealth Games made it
much busier, with athletes, officials,
family, spectators and tourists
transiting through the airport daily.
Gold Coast Airport Police
Commander Sascha Rayner said a
major role for the AFP at the airport
is building relationships with the
business and agencies that make
up the airport community - and in
reassuring the travelling public that
the AFP wants them to enjoy their
holiday or return home.
“An important part of our regular
presence is to make people aware
that we are here to help them if they
need it, and ensure they can move
through the airport safely to wherever
else they are going,” Superintendent
Rayner said. This was particularly so
during the Games.
“The increased movement of people
through the airport during the
Commonwealth Games meant it
was all hands on deck for our Gold
Coast staff. We also had extra people
come in from our Brisbane office and
airport to increase patrols all around
the airport precinct, bolster our
intelligence and support functions,
and give us the ability to respond to
any incidents.”
The AFP works closely with partner
agencies and terminal operators
responsible for passenger screening
as part of a multi-layered approach to
security in the aviation environment.
This included regular patrols
conducted through the terminal by
foot, and by bicycle and car around
the wider precinct.
Constable Rani Davis is one of the
AFP members at Gold Coast Airport
primarily responsible for counter
terrorism first response duties and
general duties policing of the airport
community. And she wasn’t immune
to the buzz when the Games finally
came to town.
“During the Commonwealth Games
period we increased our numbers due
to the high volumes of people coming
32

through the airport – that includes
the competitors, voluntary staff and
normal passengers,” she said.
“I love my job, I love what I do. I love
the people I work with. Just to be part
of the Commonwealth Games and to
be foot on the ground, it’s fantastic,
I’m very appreciative.”
While Commonwealth Games
competitors can look to medal tallies
to gauge their success, it is much
harder for the AFP.
“Success for us is prevention,
awareness and deterrence, but you
can’t measure that like you can arrests,
charges or seizures,” Superintendent
Rayner said.
“The continued smooth operation
of the Gold Coast during the
Commonwealth Games is definitely
a success for the AFP, and for the
work of all our members based and
seconded here during this three-week
period.”
Outside of the airport, the AFP
provided specialist resources to assist
Queensland Police in protecting the
community during the games.
National Coordinator Protection
Assessments and Liaison Michael
Jarratt oversaw the coordination of
the AFP’s support and liaison efforts
during the Commonwealth Games.
“There is a lot of work from different
areas of the AFP that goes into events
such as this, with most of that effort
expended in the lead-up to the games
rather than during it,” Superintendent
Jarratt said.
“In many ways, the ultimate
measure of success of our planning,
coordination and activity – and that
of Queensland Police and all of our
partner agencies – is that the general
public doesn’t notice anything out of
the ordinary and have a good time in
a safe and secure environment.”
“Special thanks needs to be extended
to members of the AFP Special
Events Planning Team, in particular
Federal Agent Michael Hargreaves
and Federal Agent Scott Gilbert from
Brisbane Office, who each worked
tirelessly on the planning and delivery
of the AFP component of this event
over several years in the lead up to the
Games.”
AFP Maritime members were
embedded with Queensland Police
to patrol waterways around the Gold
Coast, particularly those hosting
events or adjacent to venues.
Sergeant Greg Corin from the
Specialist Response Group said the
AFP contributed a detachment of
eight people – four boat drivers
and four deck hands – to assist the
Queensland Police Service with their
maritime responsibilities.
“We’re essentially working from
Coolangatta in open water areas
where the beach volleyball is being
held, all the way through to the
northern end of the Gold Coast,” he
said.
“One of the events that the
water police component of the
Commonwealth Games overlay
worked towards was the conduct of
the triathlon.”
Detective Leading Senior Constable
Chris Markcrow noted the operating
environment was familiar as AFP
members built upon relationships
with their Queensland colleagues
developed during the Brisbane
G20 summit in 2014. What wasn’t
so familiar was operating in salt
water, which is different for crews
used to operating vessels in fresh
water environments in and around
Canberra.
On dry land, the AFP also supplied
equipment and trained operators to
enhance and assist Queensland Police
search capabilities during the 2018
Commonwealth Games.
Part of this assistance was the AFP’s
Z Backscatter Vans (ZBV). The ZBV
is a mobile, non-intrusive X-ray unit
designed to identify large organic
materials hidden within vehicles,
particularly drugs and explosives.
The AFP’s ‘Z Backscatter Vans’ were
deployed to identify large organic
materials hidden within vehicles, such
as drugs and explosives.
A group of members were trained and
deployed to the Gold Coast – along
with regular ZBV operators – for
a six-week operation as part of a
multi-layered vehicle search area at
the games precinct. The vans were
also deployed to search duties at other
locations, such as scanning buses used
to transport Games athletes and their
families.
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33

Artificial
Intelligence
and Crime
Prevention
Written by David Tuffley
Senior Lecturer in Applied Ethics and Socio-Technical Studies,
School of ICT., Griffith University
34

35

Imagine you live in a smart city
that knows your face and follows
your every move – the places you
go, the people you see, and all of
the things you do along the way.
Over time, autonomous artificial
intelligence (AI) builds a profile
that reports on how likely you are
to commit a crime. When that
risk is high, the police take preemptive
action. Welcome to hypersurveillance
and the next generation
of predictive policing.
Both India and China are currently
implementing this level of
surveillance to bring down crime
rates and detect terrorists before
they strike. Japan is also looking
at predictive systems ahead of the
2020 Tokyo Olympics. London and
elsewhere in the United Kingdom
have been using similar technology
for some time. It might already be
happening in the city where you live.
Pervasive, real-time surveillance
like this is possible because more
powerful, number-crunching
computers can process the torrents
of face recognition and gait analysis
data coming from thousands of video
cameras, all coordinated by advanced
AI that can make sense of it all.
Not too long ago, we relied on eagleeyed
police patrols to ensure public
safety. That was when we lived in
small enough communities where
people knew each other by sight.
But as cities continued to grow,
becoming too large for the police
officer alone, closed circuit television
(CCTV), face recognition and earlier
generation predictive systems came
into use.
The morality of hyper-surveillance
Opinion is divided on the ethics
of predictive policing. Privacy
advocates and civil libertarians have
concerns, if not objections, to this
level of surveillance – fearing that
it could become an instrument of
discrimination.
Meanwhile, public safety and
counter-terrorism advocates argue
that predictive technology has great
potential to thwart terrorist attacks
and other threats to public safety.
Both arguments have force and
validity, so the question is where
exactly do we draw the line between
the public interest and individual
freedom?
The answer will differ case by case.
Each jurisdiction must negotiate
the answer taking account of all
stakeholder concerns.
Since terrorists attacked in the United
States on September 11, 2001 the
degree of surveillance and search in
airports has increased dramatically.
In time, the travelling public came to
accept the situation as being in their
own best interests and that of their
fellow passengers.
It is generally accepted that you have
a right to privacy in your own home.
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37

When you close the front door, you
can reasonably expect that no-one is
looking and listening.
The exception is when you are at
home but engaged in criminal activity
that threatens the community. This
is where we draw the line in this
case between individual rights and
the greater good. But when you go
outside, anyone can look at you if they
wish. They might also overhear the
conversation you’re having. There’s no
right to privacy from the public gaze,
and never has been.
But looking is different to making
predictions - and the uncomfortable
truth is that predictive policing
technology has the potential to
be used as a tool of oppression.
Managing this risk in an open,
democratic society is certainly a
challenge, but not an insurmountable
one with checks and balances.
Given the overall experience of
predictive policing, it appears there is
a strong case for its continued use.
In Australia, for example, 15 terror
attacks were reportedly thwarted
in the past three years through
police work supported by computer
algorithms.
The question is, how do we minimise
the risks to an acceptable level?
The short answer is to establish a legal
framework that guarantees ethical
transparency in any AI predictive
policing methods, including how the
algorithms are put together.
It would also rigorously ensure the
data fed into predictive systems is
accurate and unbiased. As with any
computer system, the output is only
as good as the input – garbage in,
garbage out, as the saying goes.
This is necessary to address ongoing
concerns about inherent bias in
predictive systems.
It has been observed that not all
police forces are created equal. In the
United States there are no less than
12,000 local police forces. There are
bound to be differences, reflected
in the quality of leadership and the
availability of resources.
Human/AI partnership
Policing is not perfect and human
officers do not get it right all the time.
But when it comes to AI in policing,
I believe there should always be a
place in law enforcement for the finely
honed instincts of an experienced
human officer tempered by a system
of checks and balances.
The technology should always be
subordinate to the human, taking the
role of decision support helper.
That way, when the era of hypersurveillance
arrives in your home
town, it will be an accountable
human, not a machine – however
intelligent it may be – who decides
whether a person represents a serious
risk to public safety.
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38

BUREAU OF METEOROLOGY
Triple Zero (000) 112 From Mobiles
www.triplezero.gov.au
State Emergency Service (SES) 132 500
General Warnings 1900 969 922 www.bom.gov.au
Cyclone Warnings 1300 659 212 www.bom.gov.au/cyclone
Coastal Marine Warnings 1300 360 427 www.bom.gov.au/marine
Tsunami Threat Information 1300TSUNAMI www.bom.gov.au/tsunami
RADIO
EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION
POLICE FIRE AMBULANCE
ABC Local Radio
ABC Local Radio Frequency Finder
Commercial Radio Australia
www.abc.net.au/local
www.abv.net.au/radionational/frequency/
www.commercialradio.com.au
GOVERNMENT/HEALTH/ROADS
Standard Emergency Warning Signal
www.emergencyalert.gov.au
Health & Hospitals 13HEALTH www.health.gov.au
Road Closures 13 19 40 seek local/state road closure info
ELECTRICITY
Energex 13 19 62 www.energex.com.au
Ergon 13 16 70 www.ergon.com.au
PHONE
Telstra 132 203 www.telstra.com.au
Optus 13 13 44 www.optus.com.au
ANIMALS & WILDLIFE
Wildlife Hotline 1300 130 372
RSPCA 1300 852 188
Disease Watch Hotline 1800 675 888
Lost/Missing Animals
Local RSPCA website
CALL 000 IN AN EMERGENCY
39

APPS TO HELP
YOU IN AN
EMERGENCY
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KEEPING YOU SAFE AND INFORMED
Fires Near Me App - Developed by the NSW Rural Fire Service it will
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Australia. The app finds your location using a map and will give relevant information
around you. It also allows you to choose a location. The app also
provides information on total fire bans.
The Emergency+ app is a free app developed by Australia’s emergency
services and their Government and industry partners.
The app uses GPS functionality built into smart phones to help a Triple Zero
(000) caller provide critical location details required to mobilise emergency
services
Emergency AUS App - delivers warning and incident information issued
by official agencies across Australia. Providing you with real-time access to
official warnings, incident reports and public Sensory Observations to aid
in better decision making during emergencies and disasters. By bringing
together emergency information from over 25 emergency service agencies
and accessing observations submitted by the public
Triple Zero Kids Challenge App - Start playing and learn about what happens
when you call Triple 000. The online game is designed for children of
kindergarten and primary school age and consists of a number of safety scenarios.
The game is available in seven languages including English, Arabic,
Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai, Hindi and Dinka.
40

Queensland
has no time
for speeding.
Around half of all speed-related crashes resulting in death or injury
happen at just 10km/h or less over the speed limit. See just how
dangerous low-level speeding can be at www.qld.gov.au/jointhedrive
Join the conversation on social media
#JoinTheDrive
Around half of all speed-related crashes resulting in
death or injury happen at just 10km/h or less over the
speed limit. See just how dangerous low-level speeding
can be at www.jointhedrive.qld.gov.au/speeding
41

VIOLENCE AGAINST
WOMEN DOESN’T
JUST START.
IT GROWS.
On average, one woman is killed every week at the hands of a current or
former partner. One in three women has been a victim of physical or sexual
violence, since the age of 15, from someone known to them. One in four
young people are prepared to excuse violence from a partner.
This is a cycle of violence, which starts with disrespect.
Not all disrespect towards women results in violence.
But all violence against women starts with disrespectful behaviour.
When we make excuses like “It’s just boys being boys”, we allow boys to
develop attitudes that can lead to violence. We raise girls to expect ridicule
from boys when we tell them “He’s only doing it because he likes you”.
When we do confront unacceptable behaviour, we play it down by saying
“Don’t worry, it wasn’t that bad”.
We’re allowing disrespect to become a normal part of growing up.
By doing so, we are unintentionally part of the problem.
We can all become part of the solution.
STOP the excuses.
START a conversation about respect with boys and girls.
LEARN more at australia.gov.au/respect
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
LET’S STOP IT
AT THE START
A joint Australian, state and territory government initiative.
42
Authorised by the Australian Government, Capital Hill, Canberra.