We are here to help improve disaster management in Queensland.
The Office of the Inspector-General of Emergency Management (IGEM) supports a strong and confident disaster management sector to deliver a safer, more resilient Queensland.
Lead by the IGEM, the small team at the Office provides independent assurance services and insights to continuously improve Queensland’s disaster management arrangements.
This is achieved through a systems-focused and multi-hazard approach to collaborative assessment, partnerships, engagement, and research.
We work with state government agencies, local governments, non-government organisations, researchers, and industry to identify and address gaps in disaster management knowledge, policy, and practice and to advance capability.
The functions of the IGEM and the Office of the IGEM are prescribed in the Disaster Management Act 2003.
Our functions
- Reviewing and assessing the effectiveness of disaster management arrangements within Queensland.
- Reviewing and assessing cooperation between entities responsible for disaster management in the State, including whether disaster management systems and procedures employed by those entities are compatible and consistent.
- Establishing standards for disaster management, reviewing and assessing performance against these standards and regularly reviewing the standards.
- Monitoring compliance by Queensland government departments with their disaster management responsibilities.
- Identifying and improving disaster and emergency management capabilities, including volunteer capabilities and opportunities for cooperative partnerships.
- Reporting to and advising the Minister for Police and Community Safety about issues relating to these functions.
Inspector-General of Emergency Management
The IGEM leads efforts to review and assess disaster management practice in Queensland and makes recommendations for how the sector can deliver better services for Queenslanders.
The IGEM oversees the implementation of the Standard for Disaster Management in Queensland (the Standard) within the disaster management system and strengthens confidence in the Queensland disaster management arrangements.
The IGEM works with all levels of government (local, state, and national), cross-border agencies, and community organisations to understand the needs and priorities for the disaster management sector.
The role of the IGEM started in December 2013, following a review of police and community safety. It became a statutory position in 2014.
The Office of the Inspector-General of Emergency Management
The Office of the IGEM supports the IGEM through planning, developing and conducting a range of review and assessment projects consulting stakeholders, to enable confidence in Queensland’s disaster and emergency management arrangements.
