Calling all motivated volunteers with a desire to help others.
Want to deploy with Disaster Relief Australia?
Disaster Relief Australia (DRA) responds to recovery efforts post disaster across Australia. Be it flood, bushfire, cyclone or storm, we’re there to support people on some of their toughest days, helping them take the first steps on the road to recovery.
If you are a current DRA volunteer, you can select your preferred operation in your Expression of Interest form (EOI). Each deployment can be up to seven days and will likely include a travel day either side. Can’t do seven days? Don’t worry – you can select preferences and parameters in your EOI.
Please read the following information & the submit your Expression of Interest at the bottom of this page.
Not yet a DRA volunteer? First you will need to apply to volunteer. Once your application has been approved you can then submit an EOI to deploy on an operation.
If you want to help your local community but can’t travel far and can only spare a few hours or a day, join the NAB Foundation Recovery Crew. You’ll be guided by Disaster Relief Australia, who coordinates volunteers to assist on the ground. To learn more about local community volunteering, visit the Recovery Crew website.
Want to join DRA?
If you are not yet a DRA volunteer, fill in our application form below and a friendly member of our Membership Team will contact you soon to guide you on the next steps.
Apply nowWant to deploy?
If you are already a DRA volunteer and want to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to deploy on a live operation, please keep reading the information below and then complete the EOI form via the ‘Submit your EOI’ link at the bottom of this page.
Want to volunteer locally?
Interested in assisting as a community volunteer in your local area, sign up to the NAB Foundation Recovery Crew.
Learn more
Is your training up to date?
Before you get on the ground, we ask all DRA volunteers to complete the online Core Operations Course. This course can be accessed via the DRA training portal and is designed to help you prepare for your deployment and know what to expect.
Volunteers must also be up to date with all Safe Work Method Statements and Safety Alerts, which can be found in the resources menu of your Muster profile.
Before you deploy
We have collated important information that we ask all volunteers to read before completing an EOI for deployment.
This information can change over time; so even frequent deployers should review these notes.
Everyone has a legislated health and safety “duty of care” to:
- take reasonable care for their own health and safety
- take reasonable care to ensure they don’t affect the health and safety of other people, for example, other volunteers, members of the public or clients that they may be assisting
- comply with any reasonable instruction that is given to them by the DRA organisation, as far as they are able
- cooperate with any reasonable policy or procedure that DRA has provided to them
During deployment, DRA will provide:
- Meals, barracks-style accommodation and PPE
- Transportation from designated meeting points to the Forward Operating Base
- Flights from major airports (operation budget dependent)
DRA will not cover taxis, ride-share, airport parking or private transport to/from designated meeting points.
Volunteers are not covered by workers compensation. The first recourse for injury cover is Medicare and/or DVA. Any out-of-pocket expenses not covered, can then be submitted through DRA’s Volunteer Insurance Policy.
Fitness
It is hard work and can be emotionally confronting helping communities with the residual trauma that comes from living through adversity.
Volunteers can sometimes work up to seven days straight, which can be in uncompromising conditions. Please read through the requirements for operations as outlined in an EOI, to ensure sure you fit the parameters required, both physically and mentally. This is to ensure safety of self, as we provide service to those in need.
Your submission of an EOI and acceptance of any joining instructions are a legally binding declaration of:
- Your fitness to work, and your own psychological and physical readiness to deploy
- Your commitment to carrying sufficient personal medically prescribed medicines
- If any circumstances arise that change these declarations, that you will advise DRA of the change as soon as possible
A final note
Please remember that the submission of an EOI is not a guaranteed deployment. If you have not received any communication following your submission, please check your spam and junk folders.
Current operations accepting Expressions of Interest (EoIs)
Victorian Bushfires
On 7 January 2026, several fires spread throughout Victoria, affecting dozens of townships and destroying homes and property.
Disaster Relief Australia has launched a recovery operation and seeks expressions of interest from volunteers.
This operation is a traditional recovery operation helping residents clean up following the devasting bushfire.
We welcome EOIs from all Deployment Ready volunteers and particularly encourage those with chainsaw qualifications and experience in spontaneous and community volunteer leadership and management.
Dates for the operation are:
- Wave 3 – Wednesday 4 March (IMT from Tuesday 3 March) to Thursday 12 March
- Wave 4 – Wednesday 11M arch (IMT from Tuesday 10 March) to Thursday 19 March
- Wave 5 – Wednesday 18 March (IMT from Tuesday 17 March) to Thursday 26 March
- Wave 6 – Wednesday 25 March to Thursday 2 April
- Wave 7 – Wednesday 1 April to Thursday 9 April
- Wave 8 – Wednesday 8 April to Thursday 16 April
- Demobilisation – TBC