Australian Government Agencies are responsible for maintaining and documenting a surge cohort of appropriately trained staff with appropriate security clearances to coordinate and respond to a crisis.

There will be times when there is a requirement for staff to surge across the public service to support response activity. The Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) maintains a surge reserve that mobilises Australian Public Service (APS) staff in large numbers to respond to significant crises when required. Any agency may request this capability from the APSC.