Australia is a land affected every year by different types of natural hazards such as floods, bushfires and storms. Reflecting this overall scenario, Cardinia is a council in the south-east of Victoria facing several of these hazards. Within its boundaries, in fact, there are bushfires up to the north (Dandenong Ranges and the foothills), floods in the south (the ‘swamp’ area) and storms and heatwaves occurring across the entire council.

Therefore, differently from other Councils, the most challenging aspect for Cardinia Shire Council is providing a multi-agency approach able to have multi-hazard response capabilities. Such physical characteristics are even more exacerbated by the fact that Cardinia is one of the fastest growing area in Victoria with approximately four thousand more residents per year (Cardinia Shire Council 2011)and an expected population of 174, 993 by 2036. (http://forecast.id.com.au/cardinia).