‘In two years no one will care’: expert in institutional amnesia explains where flood response falls down

Ongoing focus on disaster management needed to avoid kneejerk reactions from one event to the next

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Australia's response to flood emergencies will only improve when governments can maintain focus in the times between crises, a researcher specialising in the topic has warned.

Speaking before the release of reports into this year's floods in Queensland and NSW, Dr Alastair Stark, an associate professor of public policy at the University of Queensland, said disaster inquiries often produced effective lessons only for their implementation by governments and agencies to stall.

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