Australian Parliament Visit Strengthens Disaster Management Cooperation 

A number of Australian Parliament members directly examined efforts to increase preparedness in Bali, supported by the Australian Government. The visit is part of the cooperation commitment between the Australian Government and the Government of Indonesia to strengthen disaster management in Indonesia. 

The visit from the Australian parliament members took place on Friday (19/1) at the UPTD (Regional Technical Implementation Unit) of the Regional Disaster Control (Pusdalops PB), BPBD Bali Province. The visit was intended to strengthen communication and good relationships between the Bali Provincial Government and the Australian Government, especially in the disaster management field. In addition, through the visit, the Australian parliament hoped to gain further insight into the disaster management system and preparedness efforts that the Bali Provincial Government has implemented. 

The Head of BPBD Bali Province, I Made Rentin, directly received the visit. In addition to the staff of the BPBD Bali Province, the event was also attended by the Bali Province Disaster Risk Reduction Forum (FPRB). “The visit from the Australian Parliament is an important moment to strengthen cooperation between countries and understand disaster management measures,” he said.

In the event, the BPBD Bali Province presented the history of disasters in Bali, various potential disasters in Bali, as well as various efforts that have been made by the government along with relevant stakeholders in managing the impact of these potential disasters, including those supported by SIAP SIAGA Program. Since 2020, the SIAP SIAGA Program, which is a collaboration between the Government of Indonesia and Australia in disaster management, has provided valuable support for efforts to strengthen disaster management in the Province of Bali. The support of the SIAP SIAGA Program to strengthen disaster management in Bali will continue this year. 

According to I Made Rentin, the support of the SIAP SIAGA Program in Bali includes strengthening Disaster Preparedness Certification (SKB), which is a policy of the Bali Provincial Government, and the Bali Tsunami Early Warning System (BTEWS) through the development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Contingency Plans. “With the existing support, we continue to be committed to building a resilient and effective preparedness,” he added. 

The Chairperson of FPRB Bali Province, I Putu Suta Wijaya, emphasised the importance of cross-sector cooperation in an effort to strengthen disaster management. Therefore, the synergy and collaboration that have been established so far between FPRB Bali Province and BPBD Bali Province to build community preparedness and resilience of the Balinese people based on cultural values and local wisdom needs to be improved further. 

Joshua H. Wilson, a member of the Australian Parliament who was present at the visit, expressed his appreciation to the Bali Provincial Government for successfully integrating potentials, especially cultural values and local wisdom, in an effort to build disaster preparedness. “This shows that our program is right. This partnership is very important because we are aware that disaster prevention is crucial,” he explained. 

In addition to meeting with the staff of BPBD Bali Province and FPRB Bali Province, during this visit, the Australian parliament members also looked at the crisis centre to see the preparedness of officers and supporting equipment. The existence of the crisis centre is very important to help the people who need assistance during disasters, including providing a sense of security for tourists, considering that Bali is an international tourist destination.