Australia's peak national body responsible for the coordination of Federal Government disaster response, today (Wednesday 5 May) signed a collaborative agreement with Charles Sturt University.

The agreement between Emergency Management Australia (EMA) and CSU will foster collaborative research programs and the joint development of education programs in emergency management for Australia and overseas.

Attending today's signing the Director General of EMA, Mr Alan Hodges, said the agreement provided an important link for the Federal agency.

"We will be able to use our joint knowledge of national and international developments in emergency management for collaborative research projects. The agreement also provides a dialogue for the development of education programs and the professional development of emergency management staff," he said.

EMA works closely with State and Territory emergency management agencies in developing a national approach to emergency management.

CSU Vice-Chancellor Professor Cliff Blake said the agreement brought together two organisations with impressive credentials in the field of emergency management.

"CSU is a recognised provider of degree courses for the emerging professions, and with legislative changes and professional duty of care training needs, there is a strong demand for our diploma, degree and postgraduate courses in emergency management," he said.

"The Bachelor of Social Science (Emergency Management) course at CSU has a firmly established reputation having graduated its first students in 1997. The Master of Emergency Management course will accept its first intake in 2000."

Professor Blake said CSU emergency management courses specialised in the effective control of logistics, life endangering scenes, communications and stress management now required in the management and control of natural and other disasters and tragedies.

"These courses, offered by distance education, set an international precedent in the education and training of emergency services personnel."