title: Defining disaster resilience: comparisons from key stakeholders involved in emergency management in Victoria, Australia.
abstract: Three years after the introduction of the National Strategy for Disaster Resilience there remains no unanimously adopted definition of disaster resilience within Australia's emergency management sector. The aim of this study is to determine what the concept means to key stakeholders in the emergency management sector in the Australian State of Victoria, and how these conceptualisations overlap and diverge. Via an online survey, 113 people were asked how they define disaster resilience in their work in the emergency management sector. A data mining software tool, Leximancer, was employed to uncover the relationships between the definitions provided. The findings show that stakeholders see resilience as an 'ability' that encompasses emergency management activities and personal responsibility. However, the findings also highlight some possible points of conflict between stakeholders. In addition, the paper outlines and discusses a number of potential consequences for the implementation and the success of the resilience-based approach in Australia.
authors.affiliation: PhD is Deputy Director of the Centre for Human Factors and Sociotechnical Systems at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia.
authors.forename: Natassia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Goode
authors.affiliation: PhD is the Director of the Centre for Human Factors and Sociotechnical Systems at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia.
authors.forename: Paul M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Salmon
authors.affiliation: PhD is a Research Fellow at the Monash Injury Research Institute, Monash University, Australia.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Spencer
authors.affiliation: Emergency Management Consultant at the Monash Injury Research Institute, Monash University, Australia.
authors.forename: Dudley
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McArdle
authors.affiliation: Emeritus Professor at the Monash Injury Research Institute, Monash University, Australia.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Archer
mesh_terms: D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004189:Disaster Planning / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004190:Disasters; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007373:Interinstitutional Relations; D008297:Male; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014739:Victoria
keywords: disaster resilience; emergency management; policy