Major incidents report 2023-24

This eighth Major Incidents Report provides an annual record of major incidents in Australia that have been identified as significant by the Australian emergency management sector during the 2023–24 financial year. This report identifies 30 major incidents, with 5 case studies selected for in-depth discussion. The criteria used to select the incidents include significance at a state or territory or national level, the level of damage or disruption caused, community sentiment and interest, and uniqueness

These incidents across Australia were characterised by, among other things, their complexity, the uncharacteristic weather patterns that disrupted disaster ‘seasons’, and the rise of technology-based incidents. Complex incidents combining storms, fires, heatwaves and power outages were experienced in southwest Western Australia, South East Queensland and Victoria. Extended fire seasons saw overlaps between the Top End and central Australian fire seasons, major fires in Tasmania in September, and extensive and large fire events across central and northern Australia as fuel growth responded to wetter than normal conditions, cyclone and flood events from previous years.