17 March 2025 – UNICEF Australia says we must stop being taken by surprise when disasters strike, and start planning for the needs of children and young people to ensure they are not disadvantaged by emergencies.
UNICEF Australia is calling for a national disaster plan for children and young people to ensure consistency in access to supports and resources during the preparation, response and recovery stages, no matter where they live.
Less than three months into the year, Queensland has already endured flooding and cyclone, impacting communities from north to south; and Northern New South Wales is suffering through its fourth emergency in eight years and second devastating flooding event in three years.
Katie Maskiell, Head of Policy and Advocacy for UNICEF Australia says while regions take time to recover, it is essential for children and young people that we restore normalcy as quickly as possible.
“When disasters strike communities naturally focus efforts on repair and recovery, but unfortunately the needs of children and young people are being inadvertently sidelined.
“One of these events alone can be traumatic and disruptive for children and young people, but when we are experiencing weather disasters in close succession as we have been in recent years, this can have lifelong impacts on mental health, ability to complete their education, and even lifetime earnings.
“As a nation, it is not fair on our children to expect them to brush themselves off and continue as normal, because these events are unfortunately not once in a lifetime for many children. As we have seen in QLD and Northern NSW, these children have had multiple events that have disrupted their homes and schooling in their short lives.
“When children are disconnected from their support networks, unable to receive essential health services or continue to learn and develop, this is a setback that cannot be discounted.
A national disaster plan for children and young people should include:
- fortifying children’s mental resilience through disaster preparedness education, to sustain them through the immediate impact of a disaster
- ensuring there are safe spaces for play in evacuation centres; and some provisions for them to continue schooling if needed
- age-appropriate mental health support in the recovery phase
Ms Maskiell said while there are some supports for children and young people in place, these vary widely depending on the community services that already exist where you live.
UNICEF Australia is also calling for an increase in Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payments for families affected by extreme weather disasters, which it says are five years behind inflation, having not been reviewed since 2020.
At present, the payments for families impacted by disasters such as flood, bushfire and cyclone are $400 per child, while UNICEF Australia recommends an increase to $480 per child.
“Children should be supported through a disaster. A national framework would provide a best practice structure for states to implement and help them and their families more easily navigate the chaos that occurs when a disaster happens.
“Coupled with adequate disaster recovery payments, these measures will help get families back on their feet more quickly after a disaster,” Ms Maskiell said.