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Building a more fire-resilience Australia was at the heart of discussions at this year’s National Bushfire Conference, with Natural Hazards Research Australia-supported research taking the stage at the conference hosted by the Fire Protection Association Australia.
Bringing together fire practitioners, fire consultants, planners policy makers and researchers from across the country, the conference explored how Australia can move from risk to readiness in the face of increasing bushfire challenges.
Dr Rowena Morris, Node Research Manager for New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory presented an overview of Natural Hazard Research Australia (the Centre) highlighting the research program, end-user driven research projects, education program and supporting the next generation workforce. Rowena highlighted how Centre projects are delivering substantial national and international impact through practical, evidence-based research.
Image: Dr Rowena Morris
Conference presentations showcased the breadth of national fire research. Prof David Bowman from the University of Tasmania presented on geographical tools for fire assessment on the bushfire-urban interface. He discussed the potential for insurance to become inaccessible due to potential increased catastrophic bushfires from rising temperatures.
David explained how science can solve problems and how his team are working on how to treat the bushland area and gardens to reduce the bushfire risk.
Learn more about the research: https://www.naturalhazards.com.au/research/research-projects/bushfire-risk-rural-urban-interface
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Image: Prof David Bowman
Dr Raphaele Blanchi from CSIRO presented on bushfire adaptive homes, rated design approaches and the application of bushfire protection standards. She discussed practitioner and resident perspectives on regulation, bushfire risk, compliance, innovation, and co-benefit design solutions. She presented the key takeaways from her teams’ surveys with both the resident and practitioner surveys.
Learn more about the research: https://www.naturalhazards.com.au/research/research-projects/integrated-solutions-bushfire-adaptive-homes
The conference offered valuable opportunities for collaboration and knowledge exchange among Australia’s bushfire experts. The Centre is delighted to contribute to an event that continues to support evidence-based approached that strengthen fire preparedness and resilience across the nation.