Volunteers

Volunteers are the cornerstone of Disaster Relief Australia’s operations. With more than 3,000 members nationwide, our veteran-led tribe serves communities before, during and after natural disasters strike to strengthen resilience and deliver much needed relief and recovery services.

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Volunteer portal

The Disaster Relief Australia (DRA) Volunteer Portal provides access to valuable resources, training materials and communications to support your volunteering journey.

From safety alerts and operational training manuals to important information and support services, this resource library will keep you up to date with safe work practices and the latest in volunteering and disaster relief news.

To access information via the Member Information site, click here.

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2023 CHY 300ppi S

We are proud to be Australian Charity of the Year

In September 2023, DRA was recognised as the Australian Charity of the Year.
The Award recognises DRA’s unique capability and capacity – through its Project Resilience initiative and Big Map exercises – to help communities prepare for future disaster events.

The initiative is integral to our work with communities in identifying the potential risks and hazards that they face and providing solutions to mitigate and manage the impact of those risks and hazards.

DRA was chosen as Charity of the Year amongst a field of 11 other charitable organisatons recognised with an Outstanding Achievement Award.

Read more
Volunteers

Local Disaster Relief Teams

DRA has ten equipped and operational Disaster Relief Teams (DRTs) in all states and territories. Each DRT is integrated into local, state and national disaster management plans and participate in forums, preparation activities and emergency management exercises.

Find your DRT
veteran volunteer working on bushfire recovery operation

Training opportunities

Effective disaster response comes from effective training and preparedness.

As a member of our tribe, volunteers are offered a range of training to equip them with valuable skills needed for disaster response, mitigation and recovery.

From chainsaw operations to drone and imagery analysis and incident command systems, our training keeps us at the cutting edge.

Find out more

FAQs

Who volunteers with DRA?

Military veterans, emergency responders and motivated civilians join and deploy with DRA on domestic and international operations, all with a commitment to serve those in need. Please note, our volunteer positions are unpaid. We are extremely grateful for our volunteers’ time, experience and commitment to this shared cause.

From office administration to hands-on disaster clean up and recovery work, there are many options as a volunteer. By indicating your volunteering preference, we can tailor training to enhance your skills and future employment opportunities.

Volunteering on operations is both challenging and rewarding in ways you wouldn’t expect. You’ll dig deep, get dirty and work hard, yet bring hope and relief to communities in need, help people on some of their worst days, and meet likeminded volunteers with a united sense of purpose. Our volunteers say their deployments have been life-changing and incredibly fulfilling.

Deployments can be challenging work and emotionally confronting in disaster affected communities. Being physically and mentally fit for task is important, particularly if working for continuous days in austere conditions. We need to look after safety of self as we provide service to those in need.

If you are a new volunteer, you can sign up via our Expression of Interest form. If you are an existing DRA volunteer, check that your Muster profile is deployment ready, all skills and qualifications are up to date and your emergency contact details are correct. To streamline our processes a singular operational expression of interest will be current for all active operations. You will be able to select your preferred operation via this form, including length of deployment, and if you need help with your Muster profile you can let us know. To further prepare for deployment and know what to expect, all volunteers must complete the Online Core Operations Course prior via our online training portal.

Meals, barracks style accommodation and personal protective equipment (PPE); DRA transportation from designated RV zones to the forward operating base; and flights from major airports depending on the operations budget.

Taxis, ride-share, airport parking or private transport to and from designated RV zones.

As volunteers are not DRA employees, they are not covered by workers compensation. The first recourse of injury cover is Medicare and/or Department of Veterans Affairs (as relevant). Any out-of-pocket expenses not covered can then be submitted through DRAs Volunteer Insurance Policy.

In accordance with the nationwide relaxation of COVID-19 vaccination mandates, DRA removed the pre-deployment requirement for volunteers to be vaccinated. Volunteers who are symptomatic will be prevented from deploying and DRA will continue to strictly enforce isolation and testing of members with symptoms during operations. DRA continues to recommend all members are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and seasonal influenza due to the proven public health and personal safety benefits. We will also monitor the public health situation and revise internal policies accordingly.

All volunteers are reminded to keep tetanus injections up to date, ideally from within the past 5 years.

If you are from outside of Australia, you can register as a DRA volunteer. However please note the following:

  • International volunteers are not covered under DRA’s insurance policy and therefore must have their own insurance to deploy. You will need to provide DRA with evidence of insurance coverage prior to deployment.
  • DRA will only cover travel costs from the time you are actively launched on an operation i.e. board the flight that we have arranged to access the Area of Operation (AO). We will not cover any travel costs to and from Australia.
  • DRA will cover the cost of accommodation and food while in the AO but are unable to cover the cost or provide you with the personal gear necessary to deploy.
  • DRA does not provide migration support, including visa applications and status.

Look for the volunteer portal login box at the top of the homepage. Enter your Muster email address as ‘Username’ (the email address you use to login to Muster). Click on ‘Forgot your password’. Wait 10 minutes (and then check your spam and/or ‘other’ inbox). After 10 tries of attempting to login you will be blocked for half an hour. If you are blocked after this time, please send a support request from the contact page.

Our membership team are contactable to provide more information and assist with your enquiry.

Get involved

Whether a flood, fire, cyclone or drought, our Disaster Relief Teams help strengthen community resilience and get them back on track. If you are committed to serving those in need, there’s a spot for you on the team.

Join now

Already on the team?

Planning for upcoming operational deployments is now underway. If you are keen to participate or find out more, express your interest today.

Express interest