In light of recent disasters hitting Australia, including droughts, floods, storms, bushfires, and now the COVID-19 pandemic, the NSW government is planning to establish a new agency to coordinate its response to preparing for, and responding to, disasters.

For many Australian businesses, the quick succession of disasters has multiplied the complexity of continuing operations for many businesses. Bushfire and drought in regional Australia has lead to disruption of supply and labour, COVID-19 and the regulatory response has further made supply chains and labour more complex to coordinate. 

While a central regulatory planning for, and responding to, disasters is welcome news, businesses should be considering whether their own organisation has their own 'resilience agency' capable of quickly responding to unexpected external threats. This may be a combination of internal expertise, as well as trusted external advisers. 

While COVID-19 has been particularly disruptive, there is no shortage of other disrupters, from climate change, through to technological change. With disruption likely to be the 'new normal', businesses should be looking carefully at whether their business continuity planning is adequate, and whether their management of change processes are rigorous. Managing and responding to change will continue to be key to ensure the organisation is resilient to ongoing challenges.