Skip to content

CODA Survey 2026

About This Survey
This survey forms part of the Community Organisations Disaster Adaptation (CODA) Project. The CODA Project is focused on strengthening disaster preparedness, resilience and recovery capacity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across New South Wales.

The CODA Project is delivered in partnership with the NSW Child, Family and Community Peak Aboriginal Corporation (AbSec), the NSW Council of Social Service (NCOSS) and the Local Community Services Association (LCSA) as state peak partners. AbSec plays a key leadership role in ensuring Aboriginal community voices, cultural governance and ACCO perspectives are central to the project. The initiative is led by NCOSS and implemented in collaboration with local organisations across the Northern Rivers, Hawkesbury and South East NSW regions.

The project aims to improve collaboration between Aboriginal communities, Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs), non-government organisations (NGOs), emergency services and government agencies to support more effective, coordinated and culturally informed disaster management.

Through this survey, we are seeking direct feedback from Aboriginal community members and ACCOs about their experiences of disasters, including what has worked well, what has not worked, and what is needed to better prepare for, respond to and recover from events such as floods, bushfires, storms and other emergencies.
The information collected will be used to identify strengths, gaps and priorities and to inform advocacy, policy reform and future funding decisions. This will help ensure that disaster planning, response and recovery approaches reflect community needs, lived experience and cultural governance, and support stronger community-led disaster management into the future.

Participation is voluntary. You can skip any questions, and your responses will be treated respectfully and confidentially.
1.Your details
2.I am responding as:
3.If you are part of an organisation, what best describes your role?
Section 2: Disaster Experience
4.Which disasters have impacted you or your community in recent years?
5.How did these disasters affect you or your community? (tick all that apply)
6.What strengths does your community already have that help during disasters? (tick all that apply)
7.Do you have access to networks or partnerships that support disaster response and recovery? If so, what are they?
8.What essential services are hardest to access during or after a disaster? (tick all that apply)
Section 3: Disaster Preparedness & Planning
9.Do you or your organisation currently have a disaster management or emergency plan in place? Or, if you are responding as a community member, do you currently have a plan in place?
10.If yes, who was involved in developing this plan? (tick all that apply)
11.In your view, do people in your community know what to do before a disaster? What about during or after a disaster?
12.In your view, do people know where to go and what services they can access during a disaster?
Section 4: Relationships, Trust & Partnerships
13.How would you describe community relationships with emergency management agencies, emergency services and other support agencies in your region?

Emergency services (such as NSW SES, RFS, Police & Ambulance) and Emergency Management agencies (such as NSW Reconstruction Authority, DCJ and relevant Government Departments)
14.What has worked well in these relationships?
15.What has not worked or created barriers?
Section 5: Cultural Leadership, Elders & Community Governance

We want to understand how cultural leadership and community decision-making were recognised and respected before, during and after disasters.

Thinking of the most recent disaster in your area:
16.Were Elders and cultural leaders involved in disaster planning, response or recovery?
17.If Elders or cultural leaders were involved, what roles did they play?

(For example: decision-making, guiding responses, community communication, cultural support, communication with Emergency services and Emergency Management Agencies)
18.If Elders were not involved, what prevented their involvement?
19.Did disaster responses respect cultural obligations, kinship responsibilities and community ways of working?
20.What could emergency services and government agencies do better to recognise and support cultural leadership during disasters?
Section 6: Country, Culture & Cultural Safety

Country is central to identity, wellbeing and resilience. We want to understand how disasters affected Country and cultural places. Thinking of the most recent disaster in your area:
21.Did disaster response and recovery feel culturally safe for you and your community?
22.What does cultural safety look like for your community during disaster response and recovery?
23.Were cultural practices, Sorry Business or community obligations considered during response and recovery periods?
Section 7: Communication, Warnings & Information Sharing

We want to understand how information was shared and what helped people feel informed, safe and supported.
24.How did you receive warnings or information before and during the disaster? (tick all that apply)
25.Which sources of information did you trust the most?
26.What did not work or caused confusion, fear or exclusion?
27.How could warnings and information sharing be improved for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities?
Section 8: Sector Needs & Gaps
28.What does your organisation or community need most to be better prepared for disasters? (Tick all that apply)
29.If your organisation or community received additional funding for disaster planning, Management and recovery, what would it be used for?
30.From your community’s perspective, what would a successful disaster response and recovery look like?
Section 9: Community-Defined Outcomes & Future Vision

This section focuses on what success, healing and resilience mean from your community’s perspective.
31.What support is needed to help your community adapt to future disasters and climate risks?
32.What does a strong, resilient and prepared community look like to you?
33.What changes would make the biggest difference for future disasters? (tick all that apply)
34.What do decision-makers need to understand about your community when preparing for and responding to disasters that is often missed?
Final Question: Staying Connected.
35.If you would like to stay updated on the progress of the CODA Project, including key findings, advocacy outcomes and future engagement opportunities etc, please indicate below:
Privacy & Confidentiality Statement

Your privacy is important to us.

Any personal or identifiable information you choose to provide (such as your name, email address or phone number) will remain confidential and will not be included in any public reports, publications or advocacy documents produced as part of the Community Organisations Disaster Adaptation (CODA) Project.

Survey responses will be analysed in a de-identified and aggregated format. This means individual participants and organisations will not be named or identifiable unless explicit written permission is provided.

Personal contact details will only be used if you have indicated that you would like to stay involved or receive updates about the project. All information collected will be stored securely and handled in accordance with relevant privacy and data protection requirements.

We thank you for your trust and for sharing your experiences with us.