Natural Hazards Research Australia is in its early establishment phase. This page will be occasionally updated but all the best information on the research program, partner meetings and other activities can be found on the Natural Hazards Research Australia website. To receive all the latest updates, subscribe here for Natural Hazards Research Australia's monthly newsletter. 

About Natural Hazards Research Australia

On 1 July 2021, the Australian Government announced the establishment of the new natural hazards and disaster research centre, with $85 million in funding to deliver critical research into natural hazards.

The establishment of Natural Hazards Research Australia continues the coordinated national research effort of two Cooperative Research Centres – the Bushfire CRC and the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC - over the last 18 years and will address the major challenges arising from recent natural hazards, including the 2019-20 bushfire season. The Centre is working closely with the Australian Government to develop a new strategic research agenda for Australia along with its partners at the CSIRO, AFAC, state-based emergency service agencies, universities and industry partners. To learn about recent progress in establishing the Centre, visit its News page.

Research Priorities Discussion Paper and research program

An extensive series of sector-wide workshops and meetings with potential end-user and research partners were held in August 2021 to define and develop a long-term research program. Based on these workshops, a discussion paper was developed and released on 6 October 2021, and feedback was collected until 24 October 2021. The discussion paper, Research priorities for disaster risk reduction and community resilience to the impacts of natural hazards, can be found here. Feedback has now closed. If you missed the deadline, you can still contribute to the direction of the research program by emailing research@naturalhazards.com.au

On 18 November 2021, information about the first round of research was released, along with the launch of the education program and quick response funding. Details about each can be found here.

Expressions of Interest for research providers for a round one project exploring lifeline resilience for regional and remote communities opened on 1 December 2021. More details can be found here. Expressions of Interest closed on 21 December 2021. A further Expression of Interest will follow for another round one project in early 2022.

Getting up and running

When the Australian Government funding was announced for the new centre in 2020, the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC received as part of the announcement $2 million to immediately investigate key issues from the 2019-20 bushfire season. These projects have now concluded, and their findings are here. The first round of projects from Natural Hazards Research Australia both extend research and support the utilisation of findings from this research. 

The establishment phase of Natural Hazards Research Australia began in July 2021. Many CRC partners and research organisations have already expressed a keenness to be involved, as have many new players from government, community, industry and the research sectors.

On 1 July 2021, CEO Dr Richard Thornton wrote about the new era of research through Natural Hazards Research Australia, outlining the establishment phase and importantly, that Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC research outputs would continue to roll out to partners while the structures and processes are put in place for the new long-term centre.  

For more information, visit the Natural Hazards Research Australia website or contact: office@naturalhazards.com.au

Towards a national research program

In July 2020, a joint statement was released by the Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Hon Karen Andrews MP, and the Minister for Emergency Management, the Hon David Littleproud MP.

Natural Hazards Research Australia will build on current research into bushfires and natural hazards including the work of the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre (which ended active research on 30 June 2021) and its predecessor, the Bushfire CRC.

The new centre will focus on natural hazard resilience and disaster risk reduction to support the needs of a variety of critical stakeholders – including emergency service agencies and communities – in preparing for, responding to and recovering from natural hazards. The new centre has three overarching objectives:

Objectives

1. The protection of human life, minimised harm and suffering – towards zero preventable deaths
2. Well-prepared and resilient communities:

• communities better informed of the risks associated with an event and able to make informed decisions if faced with potential disaster
• research that maintains community trust and confidence
• communities better understanding the cost effectiveness of mitigation strategies

3. Research that translates into action

• utilisation opportunities in data management, emerging technology and research.