The Australian government has acknowledged that severe weather events, including floods, are likely to increase in frequency and intensity due to the ongoing climate crisis. Environmental disasters are likely to become far more common and widespread in the future, creating an urgent need for effective and sustainable approaches to disaster and emergency planning, response, and recovery.

While emergency services play an important role in the response and recovery to crises, they are not able to fully prepare, protect, and restore every community affected by these incidents. The last ten years or so has seen increased attention given to spontaneous volunteers, and their potential contribution in disaster and emergency management. The National Strategy for Volunteering 2023-2033 from Volunteering Australia acknowledges spontaneous volunteers as part of the broader volunteering ecosystem, defining them as “people without a formal association with a volunteer involving organisation who seek out or are invited to help with various volunteering opportunities, often in connection with a community response to disasters” (2023 p.29). Nevertheless, despite good intentions, there is more to understand about the risks involved in mobilising spontaneous volunteers during disasters.

This research presents findings from a project funded by the 2023 UTS Social Impact Grant that aimed to develop a framework on cross-sectoral collaboration between emergency responders and spontaneous volunteers in effective disaster response and recovery. Findings are based on stakeholder consultations with Lismore community leaders and volunteers who participated in the response and recovery efforts during the 2022 Lismore, NSW floods. A simulation workshop participated by key emergency and disaster responder institutions (e.g. NSW Police, SES, NSW Ambulance, among others) to examine cross-sectoral response efforts was also conducted. Findings indicate areas for improvement in harnessing contribution of spontaneous volunteers in effective disaster preparedness, response, and recovery in Australia.