Published works

In the past, intuition, experience, and anecdotal information have shaped the design of public risk communication and education campaigns, potentially limiting their effectiveness (Wood et al., 2012). However, collaborations between industry and academia better use and combine theory with practice and can generate evidence to support or counter intuitive thinking. This extended abstract outlines the research collaboration between Seqwater and QUT, which supported Seqwater’s response to the Inspector-General for Emergency Management’s (IGEM) review of dam release messaging.

In their 2015 Review of Seqwater and SunWater Warnings Communications, the Office of the Inspector General for Emergency Management (IGEM) identified the need for more effective communication from Seqwater and SunWater during natural hazards. Specifically, under Recommendation one – Messaging, IGEM recommended that Seqwater and SunWater focus immediate attention and action on issues of collaboration with local disaster management groups, addressing information sharing, messaging responsibilities, terminology and timing (IGEM, 2015).