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Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC November 2019 2 2018-2019 CONTENTS CONTENTS 2018-2019 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5 RESEARCH 8 UTILISATION AND COMMERCIALISATION 14 EDUCATION AND TRAINING 16 SME ENGAGEMENT 20 COMMUNICATIONS 21 GOVERNANCE 28 COLLABORATION 34 FUTURE PLANS AND TRANSITION ARRANGEMENTS 36 UTILISATION CASE STUDIES 37 CRC PEOPLE 58 APPENDIX 1: PUBLICATIONS 69 APPENDIX 2: ADDITIONAL RESEARCH 79 APPENDIX 3: INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION 81 APPENDIX 4: STUDENTS 83 APPENDIX 5: MEDIA 93 Dr Neil Burrows from the WA Parks and Wildlife Service presents a keynote at the 2018 Research Forum in Perth. 2018-2019 1 2 2018-2019 EXECUTIVE2018-2019 SUMMARY ABOUT US To be used by our members For the benefit of the Australian community The Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Now in its seventh year of operation, researchers The centre draws together all of Australia and New Research Centre conducts a multi-disciplinary and end-user partners are working closely together Zealand’s fire and emergency service authorities research program on the major national issues to ensure that the research is embedded into with the leading experts across a range of scientific across the natural hazards spectrum. The CRC is a the planning, policies and operations of partner fields to explore the causes, consequences and partnership of all Australian and New Zealand fire, organisations, and into the development of new mitigation of natural disasters. This combined effort land and emergency service agencies; more than research projects. is helping to build disaster resilient communities 30 universities; plus many federal, state and local across Australia. government departments; professional and volunteer associations; and, non-for-profit organisations. From mid-2013 and backed with $47 million over eight years from the Australian Government plus contributions from its member organisations the CRC has been undertaking research that supports the development of cohesive, evidence-based policies, strategies and programs to build a more disaster resilient Australia. Economics, Resilient people, Bushfire and Our vision is to be the preferred and trusted source of research and knowledge in bushfire and natural policy and infrastructure and natural hazards. decision making institutions hazard risks National research The Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre is conducting research to build a disaster-resilient Australia. Across all natural hazards The CRC coordinates a national research effort in Governance and institutional Communications and Flood and coastal hazards, including bushfires, flood, storm, cyclone, knowledge warnings management heatwave, earthquake and tsunami. Scenarios and loss analysis Understanding and Bushfire predictive services measuring resilience Developed by members Economics and strategic Built environment decisions Emergency management Severe and high impact The research program has developed under the capability weather direction of the researchers and end-user agencies. Sustainable volunteering Prescribed burning and catchment management 2018-2019 3 2018-2019 A COLLECTIVE APPROACH Dr Richard Thornton Chief Executive Officer Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC This Year in Review 2018-2019 shows how the CRC is continuing to expand its engagement with partners, and others, to ensure the research has a strong presence in mitigation planning, operational use and recovery. We have taken significant steps towards strengthening the use of research across the sector by working with end-users and partner agencies and assisting them to use and operationalise the research. Research outcomes across the natural hazards have become vital to emergency services agencies, government departments and others within the sector. At the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC we have contributed strongly to this national demand by driving a collective approach to natural hazards science based on the requirements of our partners. Our research on communications and warnings, fire behaviour, volunteerism, mitigation and policy development, just to name a few, is helping emergency services agencies, governments and communities across Australia to better plan, prepare, respond and recover from natural hazards. Together with our partners, we are working towards a more disaster resilient Australia. This is your natural hazards research centre. We hope you will help us deliver for the community through your active involvement in the research. Dr Josh Whittaker (University of Wollongong) and Dr Paula Dootson (Queensland University of Technology) with their Emergency Media and Public Affairs awards. 4 2018-2019 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY broader stakeholders through a calendar of • Hosting the 12th Australasian Natural Hazards events, conferences and workshops Management Conference in Canberra in June Building the capacity of the sector through 2019 postgraduate research and mentoring • Hosting the 6th International Fire Behaviour Establishing national research priorities for and Fuels conference, with the International natural hazards emergency management Association of Wildland Fire, NSW Rural Fire Service, Bureau of Meteorology and NSW options beyond this funding period Developing Office of Environment and Heritage, in Sydney to transition to an ongoing research centre. • Managing commissioned research projects The conduct of active research and data gathering directly for individual partners and other clients across all projects and postgraduate work was on specific issues reinforced by outputs including: • Managing a Tactical Research Fund to address • 12 book chapters strategic issues for the sector • 56 journal papers • Managing a Quick Response Fund to support • 34 refereed conference papers researchers travelling to areas affected by • 85 reports for end-users natural hazards to capture perishable data Outputs from the research themes are being used across nine impact areas: APPOINTMENTS • Policy and political engagement Following an extensive recruitment process the • Fire predictive services Board appointed Dr Katherine Woodthorpe AO FTSE • Managing the landscape FAICD, as the new Independent Chair in March 2019. Anna-Maria Arabia, CEO of the Australian Academy of Science, • The value and economics of mitigation and presents a keynote at the 2018 Research Forum in Perth. She replaced Dr Laurie Hammond, the founding recovery Chair of the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC, who • Disaster resilience passed away in late 2018. ACHIEVEMENTS • Education, communications and emergency Dr Woodthorpe brings to the CRC a wealth of The reporting period covers the sixth year of the warnings experience in innovation and research across Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC’s eight-year • Extreme weather forecasting and impact many sectors, including the Cooperative Research funding period. The focus for the period was on reduction Centres program. The then-acting Chair, Prof the delivery and utilisation of valued research • Future workforce Alistar Robertson, welcomed Dr Woodthorpe and outputs to partners. Strategically, attention turned • Critical infrastructure and lifelines highlighted her extensive experience in leadership to consolidating impacts of the research program Research outputs were also shared and developed in and management and as a professional director. and assessing options for future natural hazards the following collaborative ways: He said “Her knowledge of the research and research. • Bringing all end-user and research innovation sector will be of tremendous use as the The primary activities have been: organisations together at five Research Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC completes its Advisory Forums, in Brisbane, Darwin, current research agenda and looks further towards Reviewing centre operations, governance, and Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney an ongoing role in natural hazards research.” research quality and progress • Hosting the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC Prof Alistar Robertson, Commissioner Craig Lapsley, Delivering utilisation opportunities – AFAC Conference in Perth in September 2018, and Dr Paul Smith resigned from the Board of the Bringing together researchers, partners and which included a full day Research Forum CRC in this period. 2018-2019 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY COLLABORATION Framework was rolled out across the sector from emergency management were extended this year early 2019. with the inclusion of research for the electricity OPPORTUNITIES networks. This latest set of priorities joins