Get Ready resources translated for CALD communities

New resources are now available to help Australia’s multicultural communities prepare for, respond to and recover from severe weather events.

Designed to improve public safety in times of crisis, the resources cover a range of practical information about Australia’s seven most common natural hazards: bushfires, floods, cyclones, storms, heatwaves, earthquakes, and tsunamis.

Videos, fact sheets, posters and digital resources have been developed to provide critical natural hazard preparedness information in 10 languages for members of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities.

They have been translated into Arabic, Cantonese, Dari, Korean, Mandarin, Nepali, Punjabi, Spanish, Thai, and Vietnamese, and are also available in complementary Easy Read formats for people with low literacy.

A toolkit has also been developed to help stakeholders effectively use, adapt, promote and distribute the videos and other resources throughout CALD communities ahead of the higher risk weather season.

This will support all jurisdictions to deliver consistent, locally tailored Get Ready campaigns to help their communities prepare for natural disasters.

The new natural hazards resources for CALD communities are available at getready.gov.au/languages.

Minister for Emergency Management Kristy McBain said the resources are designed to make practical hazard preparedness information easier to understand, share and act on for more Australians.

“We know people who are prepared for disaster events bounce back faster,” Minister McBain said.

“For members of CALD communities, overcoming language barriers is a huge step forward when it comes to disaster risk awareness and staying safe in emergencies.

“This is part of the Australian government’s commitment to helping all Australians get ready for disasters.”

Queensland’s Minister for Disaster Recovery Ann Leahy said Get Ready Queensland has been helping the state prepare for severe weather since 2013, and the Queensland Government was eager to share that knowledge Australia-wide.

“We live in a culturally and linguistically diverse country, and it’s important everyone understands the different types of severe weather we face and what they can do to prepare,” Minister Leahy said.

“This important CALD project will help some of our most vulnerable communities when they need it most.”

Get Ready Queensland Manager Gillian Moody said the resources were designed to make practical preparedness information easier to understand, share and act on.

“Australia is a culturally and linguistically diverse country, with more than 300 languages spoken nationally,” Ms Moody said.

“It is important that everyone understands the different types of extreme weather, what they can do to prepare, and how they can stay safe.”

The project was funded by the Australian Government through the Disaster Risk Reduction Package and led by the Queensland Reconstruction Authority’s Get Ready Queensland team in consultation with jurisdictions across Australia.