Community consultation: The foundation of effective risk management

Since the development of the Australian New Zealand Standard on Risk Management (AS/NZ 4360:1995), the philosophy and concepts have been embraced and applied in many contexts outside of the insurance industry. One of these contexts is emergency management. The reason it has been adopted as a mantra in emergency management is that it appears to make emergency management more "scientific." There appears to be a generally held belief that the more scientific we become, through the incorporation of numbers, the more it will guarantee our successful management of emergencies and disasters. Within the standard, there is brief reference to the need for communication with all "stakeholders." This catch-all phrase would implicitly include the community. But I contend that unless consultation with the community is explicit and specific and we start talking "with" rather than "at" the community, emergency management is treading down a path that could lead to a community perception and reputation that is currently "enjoyed" by the insurance industry.