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| Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre | |
|---|---|
| Name | Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre |
| Formation | 2013 |
| Location | Melbourne, Australia |
| Region served | Australia |
| Leader title | Chief Executive |
| Leader name | Mark Crosweller |
Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre The Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre was an Australian research consortium focused on bushfire, emergency management, and natural hazard resilience. It brought together academic institutions, emergency services, scientific agencies, and industry partners to translate research into operational practice and policy across Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. The Centre aimed to improve preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation for hazards including bushfire, flood, cyclone, earthquake, and heatwave.
The Centre was established following recommendations from reviews by Australian Government-commissioned panels and drew from precedents such as the Cooperative Research Centres Programme and the legacy of the Bushfire CRC. Its formation in 2013 built on research networks associated with CSIRO, Australian National University, University of Melbourne, University of New South Wales, and Monash University. Early initiatives referenced inquiries like the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements influences and lessons from events including the Black Saturday bushfires, the 2010–11 Queensland floods, the Cyclone Yasi response, and the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. Leadership engaged senior figures from Emergency Management Australia, Australian Red Cross, Country Fire Authority (Victoria), and state agencies such as NSW Rural Fire Service and Country Fire Authority (Victoria) to shape strategic priorities. The Centre’s lifecycle included program reviews aligned with national strategies such as the National Strategy for Disaster Resilience and stakeholder consultations with bodies like the Attorney-General's Department and the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience.
Governance was structured around a Board including representatives from universities like University of Tasmania, research agencies like Geoscience Australia, emergency services such as Victoria State Emergency Service, insurers like Insurance Council of Australia, and local government bodies including the Local Government Association of Queensland. Executive management coordinated with program leaders from University of Western Australia, Griffith University, Flinders University, University of Adelaide, and Deakin University. Advisory panels incorporated expertise from international agencies including United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, and bilateral partners such as New Zealand Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management and United States Federal Emergency Management Agency. Corporate governance adhered to standards promoted by Australian Securities and Investments Commission-aligned practices and reported to funding partners including the Australian Research Council and state funding bodies.
Programs spanned interdisciplinary themes involving hazard modelling, community resilience, emergency management practice, recovery, and decision support. Core projects partnered with scientific agencies like Bureau of Meteorology, Geoscience Australia, and Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation to develop tools such as fire-behaviour models, flood inundation mapping, and multi-hazard risk assessments used by agencies including Parks Victoria and Forest Fire Management Victoria. Social science research engaged scholars from University of Sydney, Macquarie University, and University of Queensland to study community preparedness, evacuation behaviour, and post-disaster mental health with inputs from Beyond Blue and Lifeline Australia. Technology and data innovation projects collaborated with industry partners including Esri, IBM, and Atlassian to create decision-support platforms compatible with standards from ISO. Training and capability programs linked to curricula at institutions like TAFE NSW and professional development with Australian Emergency Management Institute.
The Centre operated through formal partnerships with over forty institutions including universities, research organisations, emergency services, local councils, indigenous organisations, and private sector partners such as Suncorp Group and IAG. International collaborations included research exchanges with University of California, Berkeley, University of Oxford, Imperial College London, Tsinghua University, Indian Institute of Technology, and University of Tokyo. Multilateral engagement involved World Bank disaster risk programmes, regional work with ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance and the Pacific Islands Forum, and knowledge sharing with United Nations Development Programme. Collaborative outputs supported agencies such as Australian Maritime Safety Authority and NGOs including Australian Red Cross and Salvation Army for community recovery frameworks.
Outputs included peer-reviewed publications from authors affiliated with Nature Communications, Science Advances, Environmental Research Letters, and national reports used by state agencies. Practical impacts encompassed adoption of modelling tools by New South Wales Rural Fire Service, revised evacuation guidance employed by Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, and enhanced recovery frameworks used by State Emergency Service (Victoria). The Centre influenced policy debates in forums such as the Council of Australian Governments and informed submissions to inquiries like the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements. Capacity-building outcomes included trained personnel in partnering organisations, incorporation of research into university courses at University of Canterbury and University of Melbourne, and community education materials disseminated through Country Fire Authority (Victoria) and Rural Fire Service (NSW) channels.
Funding sources combined grants from the Australian Government, contributions from industry partners including Suncorp Group and Insurance Council of Australia, and in-kind support from universities such as Flinders University and Monash University. Evaluations included independent reviews by panels with members from Australian National Audit Office-style expertise, assessments aligned with metrics from the Australian Research Council, and stakeholder feedback from emergency services like NSW Ambulance and Victoria Police. End-of-program evaluations synthesized impacts on resilience, informed successor arrangements in the research landscape, and recommended directions for future investment in partnerships with agencies such as Bureau of Meteorology and Geoscience Australia.
Category:Research institutes in Australia