Political pressures and the speed treadmill:

Pressure from the political or from donor and or public expectations shape decisions and impose the need for speed—a drive that can also be self-imposed but rarely constructive, as Anne Leadbeater describes.

So much was determined by government agendas and election political pressures. Brad Quilliam – Kinglake Ranges Business Network

Nothing is as urgent as it seems. There are some provisions which need to happen quickly such food, water, and shelter sorted quickly, but three years later we are still on this rapid response treadmill. We never stop and go 'you know what? The emergency has abated and now we can be a bit more thoughtful and a bit more purposeful.' We are still in that 'get stuff out the door' modality and it's not useful because it keeps people in this heightened sense of urgency and adrenalin and even though nothing bad is happening right this instant we are still running around like crazy. You end up running on the treadmill for years. You've stopped even recognizing what not doing it looks like... But there should be a time when you can think I should be able to put the brakes on for a bit now. But unfortunately it doesn't work out because at the same time as working in recovery, the investigations engender new policies which have to be written which then mean new processes have to be designed, then they have to be implemented and so the cycle continues if you let it. Part of the challenge is that like anything else, you spend enough time on this treadmill and it feels safe and comfortable although not entirely pleasant. You kind of get, "I'm exhausted and miserable but that's alright because that's how I was yesterday" so it almost becomes the modus operandi, the environment or culture that you are familiar with. Familiarity and certainty are things to cling to. This is a terrible process, I hate it, but it's the same so in its sameness there's comfort. Anne Leadbeater - Kinglake Ranges