Cyclone Alfred: Disaster management boss takes leave in aftermath
Premier David Crisafulli says the man overseeing Qld’s disaster response and recovery who went on leave as 100km/h winds and torrential rain bore down SEQ did not need to be present during the event.
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The man overseeing Queensland’s disaster response and recovery took a holiday as Cyclone Alfred smashed South East Queensland.
Inspector-General of Emergency Management Alistair Dawson, who was reappointed to his role this month, received approval from Emergency Services Minister Dan Purdie – before the cyclone formed – to take leave from last Sunday, as 100km/h winds felled trees and flash flooding worsened across the region.
Mr Dawson has 45 years’ policing experience in Australia and the UK, and was appointed to the $356,000-a-year role in 2020 by then-premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
His agency monitors government agencies’ response to, and recovery from, disasters, and issues recommendations for improvements.
The government said Mr Dawson attended meetings of the Queensland Disaster Management Committee in the lead-up to the cyclone’s arrival and on Saturday, but was on leave from Sunday when millions of southeast residents woke to destruction.
Premier David Crisafulli this morning said Mr Dawson did not need to be present during the event.
“That role is an auditing role, which kicks into gear after an event,” he said.
“The person in charge of the disaster response and recovery is me and I’m the point of accountability.
“It’s important to differentiate those roles.”
Mr Dawson will not complete the post-event report, with that responsibility falling to Acting Inspector General Kylie Mercer.
Mr Dawson will not author the Inspector-General of Emergency Management’s review of the response to the first tropical cyclone to smash the heavily populated region in more than two decades.
Instead, an acting inspector-general will prepare the report.
Sources told The Courier-Mail Mr Dawson had left the country, but his office refused to reveal his whereabouts and said he was on approved leave.
It is understood Mr Purdie approved Mr Dawson’s leave before the cyclone formed, but did not request he cancel, despite the disaster management committee being activated and emergency personnel working around the clock.
Mr Purdie’s office would not confirm the Minister had approved Mr Dawson’s leave, nor whether he requested he cancel when the damage of the weather system was realised.
“The Minister has every confidence the acting inspector-general is eminently qualified to fulfil the duties for the short leave period,” a spokeswoman said.
Mr Purdie’s office trumpeted the government’s response and attacked the former Labor government for failing to reappoint Mr Dawson prior to the summer disaster season.
“By planning early and pre-positioning crews and assets, we were able to respond quickly to TC Alfred and ensure no daylight between response and recovery,” a spokeswoman said.
“This stands in stark contrast to the former Labor government, which left Queensland without an inspector-general appointed for Queensland’s disaster season.”
Opposition emergency services spokesman Glenn Butcher called on Mr Purdie to explain his department boss’s absence.
“Dan Purdie needs to explain why he did not recall this leave, the Inspector-General should have been on the ground to witness how this new government responded to this disaster,” Mr Butcher said.
Police Minister Dan Purdie said Mr Dawson was an auditor whose job started “long after the event”. “The office of the IGEM (Inspector-General Emergency Management) is 22 people, and their job starts long after the event - to do an audit, if required,” Mr Purdie said.
“Those reports this morning show that Labor doesn’t really understand the role.”
Premier David Crisafulli said Mr Dawson did not need to be present during the event.
“That role is an auditing role, which kicks into gear after an event,” he said.
“The person in charge of the disaster response and recovery is me and I’m the point of accountability.
“It’s important to differentiate those roles.”
Mr Dawson will not complete the post-event report, with that responsibility falling to Acting Inspector General Kylie Mercer.
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Originally published as Cyclone Alfred: Disaster management boss takes leave in aftermath
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