Be Ahead of Ready

To Be Ahead of Ready is to achieve a future end state where communities are safe, resilient and sustainable. It is to be ahead of the curve, where risk is foreseen, and  proactive measures are taken to reduce or adapt to threats, and ensure sufficient future capability to minimise impacts via response and aid recovery from disasters.

To Be Ahead of Ready requires us all to lead by thinking bigger and bolder and embrace a diversity of ideas. We must be creative and innovative, visionary and strategic. Too often change is reactive in the aftermath of natural hazard events and incremental in its advancement. How do we switch to a transformative, more ambitious model of change, in anticipation of worsening threats, to create a long-term vision for our society?

To Be Ahead of Ready means we must consider emerging threats as opportunities. It requires a shift from thinking about the next high-risk weather season, to the decade ahead and beyond. It means moving from tactical, short-term considerations of the last disaster event to a focus on the implications of longer-term trends.

Not every idea will immediately transform Australia, while often several ideas will need to be implemented concurrently to ensure sustainable, coordinated change across operations, strategy and policy. Decisions must be made now to safeguard our future. What capabilities must we start to build today so we are ready for tomorrow and beyond? What policy, cultural and systemic changes are required to make real change happen? An environment and culture that best fosters and enables innovation in capability and policy sustained by long-term commitment is needed to ensure we are able to meet this challenge.

Natural Hazards Research Australia, through the Be Ahead of Ready initiative, has undertaken research and consultation to identify big ideas that will drive a resilient, safe and sustainable future. The initiative has provided a unique opportunity to engage with more than 300 stakeholders from a wide variety of sectors, including the emergency management agencies and authorities, local, state and Commonwealth government, not-for-profit organisations (community and First Nations organisations), insurance and banking organisations, and research. Stakeholders were asked to think outside their sector and comfort zones to identify the big ideas that will positively change our future. This paper presents the key ideas that emerged from Be Ahead of Ready’s iterative process of discovery with these stakeholders. A combination of select expert reviewers and AI systems then refined and built upon the findings.

This discussion paper is designed to prompt thought and discussion about what action is needed right now to ensure Australia can Be Ahead of Ready, as well as how research can support these actions.  While many ideas involve advances in technology, artificial intelligence and predictive modelling, all need the human element to shape, drive and implement change. The ideas outlined are not exhaustive, with broad sector, partner and community input, collaboration and change at the heart of Be Ahead of Ready, with more ideas to come.

Natural Hazards Research Australia looks forward to feedback on the ideas outlined in this document, their prioritisation and areas for future exploration and research.