Disaster Relief Australia (DRA) commences disaster relief activities immediately after the disaster response period – once all emergency services have redeployed – within the relief and recovery phases.

Building Disaster Relief Australia’s National Veteran Volunteer Force (NVVS) will create a sustainable and fit-for-purpose model of continued service to the nation, while at the same time, it will establish veterans as a much-needed national asset in disaster resilience and recovery. Veterans are suited to lead and the NVVS is based on the simple premise that the best way to help a veteran is to ask them to help someone else, this will drive better physical and mental outcomes for both veterans and their families.

The skills obtained during their years of service in the Defence Forces are highly effective in the management of the recovery operations and assistance required in communities impacted by disasters. This also improves veterans’ wellbeing by giving them the opportunity to continue to serve and find purpose. DRA offers a unique opportunity for veterans to volunteer and be part of a humanitarian effort with a unified purpose, mission and intensity similar to military service.

As a trusted disaster relief organisation DRA already utilises the skills and experience of military veterans to rapidly deploy volunteer disaster relief teams to communities across Australia in the wake of a disaster. As part of the NVVS DRA will expand our existing Disaster Relief Teams nationally from 9 to 15, with a focus on increasing veteran volunteer numbers in each state and territory to sustain growth and demands to assist communities across the country.

By recruiting and training more veteran volunteers into DRA’s DRT’s nationally, we can significantly increase the assistance provided to disaster-affected communities. Service in DRA recreates many of the protective factors of military service, particularly those of purpose, self-esteem, responsibility, mateship and identity. However, other benefits of volunteering within DRA such as career development, leadership opportunities and the ability to gain skills and qualifications have also been found to serve as protective factors for serving members. By taking this approach, DRA empowers veterans and provides continued support to the communities we serve.

The NVVS will capture to ambition and attributes that drive people to join the Australian Defence Force, creating both an opportunity and an expectation that veterans can and should capitalise on the training and experience provided by the ADF to continue to serve Australian communities.

The NVVS will mobilise one of Australia’s most underused resources, the Australian veteran, to provide a lead agency for the development, training and coordinated deployment of the nation’s volunteers.  While DRA has validated the model by deploying over 3,000 veterans to disaster zones, the NVVS provides the opportunity for a unique nation-building strategic initiative to support the nation in its times of greatest need.

The NVVS addresses the need for a whole-of-nation resilience-based approach to disaster management, which recognises that a national, coordinated and cooperative effort is needed to enhance Australia’s capacity to withstand and recover from emergencies and disasters.

For more information, visit disasterreliefaus.org