Some emergency situations are also, or can also become, crisis events that need to be actively managed at a senior level by the University, and some are crisis events in their own right.

What is a crisis?

A crisis is a sudden event or series of events that seriously threatens the University of Tasmania's people, operations, assets, environment, or long-term prospects and reputation.

In addition to physical emergencies such as natural disasters, major injuries or fatalities, armed assaults, crises can also include security incidents, cyber-attack, major robbery or fraud, or other events which lead to major ethical or reputational damage to the University.

How are crisis events managed?

The University has a Crisis Management and Recovery Team (CMRT) which is convened as required to manage crisis events. The CMRT is guided by an action document known as the Crisis Management and Recovery Plan.

Depending on the circumstances and nature of the event, the CMRT can work together with the University’s emergency management team to manage emergencies, or manage a crisis in its own right.

In a crisis, the role of the CMRT is to:

• Analyse the implications of the incident and the University’s emergency and crisis response operations.
• Determine crisis potential and develop objectives.
• Mobilise, as required, Human Resources, student and media support teams and the telephone response team.
• Interact with stakeholders and the media.
• Interact with relevant government officials and regulatory organisations to address potential issues and gain their support for response strategies.
• Consider, decide and implement courses of action.
• Manage the wider operational issues and ramifications.
• Recover and resume the University business.

Who is responsible for managing a crisis?

The CMRT is made up of senior representatives from across the University – some or all of which may be involved in managing the crisis, depending on its nature:

University staff can read more about the CMRT and crisis management and recovery procedures on the University's CMRT intranet site (UTAS staff access only). 

For more information on the University's CMR Plan, contact Matt Smith, Deputy Director, Commercial Services and Development, telephone (03) 6226 6422.