Priorities set direction for next decade

A set of priorities for national research into natural hazards in Australia has been launched by the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC.

Presented to the emergency management industry in Adelaide at Research Driving Change - Showcase 2017, the priorities spell out the most significant natural hazard emergency management issues Australia faces over the next decade.

With the economic costs of disasters in Australia expected to increase from $9 billion to $33 billion per year by 2050, we must continue to ask the difficult and complex questions, believes Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC CEO Dr Richard Thornton.

“As a nation, we have a moral and economic obligation to mitigate against the impact of natural hazards,” Dr Thornton said.

“As members of the emergency management sector we have a responsibility to identify the major issues that need to be addressed to build safer and more resilient communities.

“As members of the research community, we have a responsibility to apply our skills, knowledge and creativity to identifying potential solutions and bringing them to fruition,” he said.

The National research priorities for natural hazards emergency management, developed in conjunction with the emergency management sector, identify where future investment is needed.

Major issues across all hazards have been identified. They include:

• Shared responsibility and community engagement
• Communicating risk and understanding the benefits of mitigation
• Climate change
• Predicting hazards more accurately, leading to better warnings.

Business as usual is not an option. There is a need to move away from the traditional model of fire and emergency service delivery to a model where emergency management professionals are integrated with, not simply working for, communities.

Discover the National research priorities for natural hazards emergency management at www.bnhcrc.com.au/nationalpriorities