Northern Australia is prone to recurring severe natural hazards, especially frequent cyclones, flooding, and extensive wildfires. The region is sparsely populated (≪ 0.5 persons km⁻²), with Indigenous (Aboriginal) residents comprising 14% of the population, and typically the majority in remote regions. Despite national policy committed to addressing emergency management (EM) in vulnerable Indigenous communities, implementation remains unfunded. We synthesise participatory intercultural research conducted over seven years exploring core challenges, opportunities and potential solutions towards developing effective EM partnerships. Similar EM engagement and empowerment issues face First Nations and local communities in many international settings. In search of solutions, we explore developing effective partnership arrangements between EM agencies and culturally diverse Indigenous communities. Observing that government already provides substantial investment in cultural and natural resource management programmes conducted by over 150 Indigenous Ranger Groups (IRGs) nationally, we demonstrate that expansion of IRG roles to incorporate EM community engagement and service delivery can provide multiple cost-effective community and business development benefits for many remote communities.

澳大利亚北部容易发生严重的自然灾害，尤其是频繁的飓风、洪水和大范围的野火。该地区人口稀少（≪ 0.5 人 km ^-2)，土著（原住民）居民占人口的 14%，通常在偏远地区占大多数。尽管国家政策致力于解决脆弱的土著社区的应急管理 (EM)，但实施仍然没有资金。我们综合了七年来开展的参与式跨文化研究，探索核心挑战、机遇和潜在解决方案，以发展有效的新兴市场伙伴关系。在许多国际环境中，第一民族和当地社区面临着类似的新兴市场参与和赋权问题。为了寻找解决方案，我们探索在 EM 机构和多元文化的土著社区之间建立有效的伙伴关系安排。