2024 Resilient Australia Awards – Victorian winners

About the Resilient Australia Awards

The Resilient Australia Awards celebrate initiatives that build whole of community resilience toward disasters and emergencies around Australia. 

The awards are sponsored by the Australian Government in partnership with the states and territories. We work with the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience (AIDR) to manage the Victorian awards process. This year, Victoria received 19 applications across the following 5 categories:

• Business
• Community
• Government
• Local government
• Mental health and wellbeing.

Victorian state level winners for the Resilient Australia Awards 2024 were announced at a ceremony, hosted by us, on Thursday 12 September 2024.

Allyson Lardner – Acting Deputy Commissioner, Operations presented awards to 5 winners and 3 highly commended entries across 5 categories.

The 2024 Victorian winners are:

Business category

One winner and one highly commended entry for the business category.

Winner: Business Award

A2B Personnel for ‘Cultural Healing and Aboriginal Participation for October 2022 Flood Clean Up Victoria’ 

A2B Personnel, an Aboriginal-owned labour hire company in regional Victoria, launched the Cultural Healing and Aboriginal Participation program to support recovery efforts following the October 2022 Victorian floods. 

The program provided 38 long-term jobs for local Aboriginal people including roles as regional operations managers, supervisors, labourers and traffic personnel, contributing to flood clean-up efforts. 

Through culturally safe community engagement, it also increased access to recovery services. 

Another key achievement was the protection of 150 cultural heritage sites with A2B developing a Cultural Heritage Standard Operating Procedure to guide future recovery efforts. 

Most impressively, the program has embedded Indigenous leadership and knowledge at all levels making a significant impact on both cultural and community recovery.

Highly commended 

Community Enterprise Foundation for ‘Beyond the Fire: Resilience’

Beyond the Fire: Resilience is a poignant TV documentary and educational guide that explores the ongoing recovery efforts 3 years after the 2019–20 Black Summer bushfires.

As the third instalment in the Beyond the Fire series, the hour-long special highlights the strength of communities and the critical role of government and community-led initiatives. 

Through storytelling and lived experiences, it encourages:

• community support
• mental health awareness
• disaster planning
• policy reform

while also addressing the bureaucratic challenges to recovery. 

Viewed by policymakers, the documentary also aims to drive support for a more resilient future.

Community category

One winner and 2 high commended entries for the community category.

Winner: Community Award

Women’s Health Loddon Mallee for ‘Women Rising: Empowering Flood Recovery’

Following the October 2022 Victorian floods, Women’s Health Loddon Mallee (WHLM) launched Women Rising: Empowering Flood Recovery to address gender inequalities in disaster recovery. 

The program aimed to promote equitable health, social, and economic outcomes through a community-led, strength-based approach. 

Key initiatives included:

• training 72 regional stakeholders on gender-responsive disaster planning and recovery
• grant funding for community-led recovery initiatives
• advocating for policy changes
• over 1,100 community members benefited from grassroots initiatives
• 2,767 people engaged with the roaming project exhibition.

This work serves as a model for future disaster resilience efforts.

Highly commended  

Youth Affairs Council Victoria for ‘Future Proof: Young People, Disaster Recovery and (Re)building Communities’

Future Proof: Young People, Disaster Recovery and (Re)building Communities is an innovative initiative led by Youth Affairs Council Victoria in response to the 2019–20 Black Summer bushfires.

It focuses on fostering youth-led recovery and resilience in Eastern Victoria by creating pathways in emergency management and community services. 

Key achievements:

• 23 youth workers and 14 peer workers support the program
• 6,549 young people have been engaged in local community projects
• 1,183 young people have gained relevant qualifications
• 163 young people have led local initiatives.

Through partnerships with local councils and Aboriginal organisations, the program builds leadership, skills and community resilience, highlighting the power of youth-driven recovery and resilience.

Highly commended   

Blue Light Victoria for the ‘DASH program – dynamic, active, safe, healthy’

The DASH program is an early intervention initiative for primary school children in years 5–6, designed to build resilience and support social recovery after bushfires and floods. 

Key achievements:

• in 2023, BLV delivered 77 DASH programs
• 1,900 young people participated in the programs
• 113 Community Partners provided support.

Each program features a student-led, action-based community project that help boost emotional intelligence, self-esteem, and social skills. 

These projects are delivered in partnership with Victoria Police, emergency services, and local organisations, helping students connect with positive role models and build trust in community support systems. 

DASH enhances socio-emotional skills, promotes positive behaviours, and improves mental wellbeing.

Government category  

One winner for the government category.

Winner: Government Award 

Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) and partners for Victoria’s Resilient Coast – adapting for 2100+

Victoria’s Resilient Coast is a comprehensive program designed to address coastal hazards and climate change impacts through the following key initiatives: 

• co-developed with over 100 representatives from 48 agencies
• provides a statewide framework, guidelines and $4.9 million in grants for coastal hazard risk management
• partners with Aboriginal Party organisations, councils, and environmental authorities
• 25 regional projects are currently underway including estuary and ecosystem management
• engages over 200 members bi-monthly to share knowledge and build capacity
• aims to mitigate economic risks from coastal hazards estimated to exceed $442 billion by 2100.

Local government category   

One winner for the local government category.

Winner: Local Government Award

Merri-bek City Council, Amble Studios and Goodmorningbeautiful for ‘The Adaptation Game – building climate resilience in Merri-bek’

The Adaptation Game (TAG) is an innovative storytelling tool developed to make climate change and disaster preparedness more relatable and actionable. 

TAG uses transmedia storytelling to simulate local natural disaster experiences, translating complex climate science into engaging, fictional scenarios. 
The game has been adopted by 9 other Victorian councils and attracted national and international interest.

It facilitates community dialogue, connects players with resources and climate action programs, and has led to increased knowledge, reduced fear, and higher participation in climate groups and neighbourhood networks. 

TAG effectively fosters proactive and informed community responses to climate change.

Mental health and wellbeing category  

One winner for the mental health and wellbeing category.

Winner: Mental Health and Wellbeing Award

Mackillop Seasons for ‘Community Resilience Building in East Gippsland

This Mackillop Seasons project was created to strengthen community resilience in East Gippsland, focusing on disaster preparedness and recovery, particularly for bushfires. 

The project deployed a community resilience officer to implement culturally sensitive mental health programs and evidence-based disaster readiness initiatives for all ages. 

Key goals included:

• addressing vulnerable groups' needs
• enhancing social connections
• supporting mental health recovery
• fostering long-term resilience. 

The project trained local professionals and community members, improved disaster response and strengthened social bonds through events and community of practice sessions.

The ‘Seasons for Healing’ program was tailored for Aboriginal community members.

The project promoted sustainable preparedness and included training 110 local facilitators and supporting local networks such as the Young Professionals Group in Bairnsdale.

Overall, it successfully empowered and educated the community to improve disaster resilience.