Published works

The purpose of this framework is to assist this process with guidance that supports practitioners by providing a starting point for understanding and clarifying risk ownership as part of strategic risk planning. It does this through a framework that outlines:

• What risk ownership is and how it works.
• The concepts that need to be understood to work in longer term strategic timeframes and to determine risk ownership across dynamic geographical and temporal landscapes.
• A framework process that can be integrated into current planning activities to develop emergency management plans by government agencies, communities and organisations. Its design is aligned with the National Emergency Risk Assessment Management Guidelines (Australian Institute of Disaster Resilience, 2015).

The framework process uses a flexible, values-based approach that shows how to identify the most important values in a variety of settings, to assess how those values are at risk from natural hazards, and to identify and evaluate actions to preserve and recover those values in the face of natural hazard risk. A list of diverse evaluation tools and methods to do this are also summarised. The process is designed to add to, and be integrated into, current risk planning assessments. Although this framework uses natural hazards as the focus, it can be applied in other areas of emergency management where strategic approaches to systemic risk are needed.

Aspects of this framework may be uncomfortable because they challenge established forms of thinking and acting, so it is important for those using this framework to approach it through a change management/transformation lens. What is possible and when will be dictated by situational contexts and available resources. As with all innovation, developing the new skills and knowledge needed will help people understand and accept the changes they may need to make to undertake new and unfamiliar activities.

This type of planning goes beyond surviving an event and rebuilding back to focusing on sustaining the values we treasure most. It is about planning for the future we want to have in the face of change.