The Queensland Government is committed to making Queensland the most disaster-resilient state in Australia. To support this commitment and the safety of all Queenslanders, the Office of the Inspector-General Emergency Management has been charged with establishing the means to provide confidence in the disaster management system. Too often, when we refer to emergency management, our thoughts are immediately directed towards police, fire and mainstream emergency service providers. In reality these agencies are only part of the puzzle. Their roles are very much response related. Certainly they play a key and often under emphasised role in preparation and planning but their members see themselves as ‘responders’, not bureaucrats who get weighed down in issues such as hazard identification, risk analysis or mitigation activities. The emphasis in future must be on making all of those with responsibilities in this space accountable for their part across the full Prevention Preparedness Response Recovery (PPRR) spectrum, including all departments, local governments, non-government organisations and government commercial businesses. The future must be about standards, about clearly identifying the responsibilities of entities and holding them to account before the royal commission or commission of inquiry is required. The standard for disaster management was introduced in Queensland in 2014. A year on, self-assessments have been run across all Queensland Government departments and local governments alike. The results have identified a number of areas for improvement but also some very clear examples of good practice to be shared across the sector. The Standard for Disaster Management in Queensland establishes performance requirements for all entities involved in disaster management and forms the basis of assurance activities undertaken by my office. This presentation examines the impact the standard has had over the past 12 months, the importance of ongoing collaboration with stakeholders and the need for all involved to accept their responsibility and embrace accountability.