East Java Provincial Government and Australia Strengthen Partnership for Disaster Mitigation

The East Java Provincial Government is strengthening its partnership with the Australian Government through the SIAP SIAGA Programme to enhance community preparedness and bolster disaster management capacity down to the village level. “A village cannot be called a Disaster Resilient Village if there are no trained volunteers at the sub-district and village levels,” said East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa in a statement received in Surabaya on Wednesday. She stated that strengthening volunteer capacity at the village and sub-district levels is a crucial aspect of building community resilience in the face of disasters. Volunteers are considered the front line in mitigation, emergency response, and post-disaster recovery. Additionally, the East Java Provincial Government is encouraging the establishment of Social Barns in Disaster Resilient Villages to support the availability of logistics and equipment needed by communities in disaster-prone areas. During the meeting, the provincial government also highlighted the development of Disaster Resilient Islamic Boarding Schools (PESTANA) as an effort to strengthen the preparedness of pesantren environments against various potential disasters. “Pesantren also need to be strengthened in their resilience to disasters. Volunteers from pesantren are trained, on how to prepare them to become resilient. Then, it will be trialled at which pesantren the training will take place,” said Khofifah. Head of the East Java Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) Gatot Soebroto said the capacity of pesantren needs to be comprehensively mapped and studied because students and teaching staff reside for long periods within the pesantren environment. “Both the santri and their teachers live and study for long periods in the pesantren area. They have the potential to be affected by disasters,” he said. He explained that the PESTANA concept is being developed with an approach similar to the Disaster Safe Education Unit (SPAB). Currently, the disaster module and learning methods for the programme are still in the drafting stage. Head of Sub-National Programs for the SIAP SIAGA Programme, Deswanto Marbun, expressed appreciation for the support and input provided by the East Java Provincial Government regarding the implementation of the Indonesia-Australia partnership programme. “The Governor provided various inputs. One important point conveyed was the need to involve all stakeholders down to the sub-district and village levels so that disaster response is more effective and on target,” he said. The SIAP SIAGA Programme is a partnership between the Indonesian and Australian governments for disaster risk management that has been running in East Java since 2020. The programme focuses on improving the community’s ability to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. East Java is one of the priority areas for the programme because it has 14 types of disaster risks spread across various regions. Together with the East Java BPBD, the SIAP SIAGA Programme has conducted an independent tsunami evacuation simulation at Bulu Beach, Tegalrejo Village, Lumajang Regency. In early July 2026, the programme will also hold a volcanic eruption handling simulation in Malang Regency. Acting Deputy Consul General of Australia in Surabaya, Will Lee, said disaster management cooperation is a strong symbol of the relationship between Indonesia and Australia. “That experience shows that the relationship between Indonesia and Australia is very important,” he said, referring to the involvement of Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) personnel in helping to handle major bushfires in New South Wales, Australia, in 2019.