Research leader

Michael Eburn
A/Prof Michael Eburn Research Leader

Research team

Karen Hussey
A/Prof Karen Hussey Research Team
James Pittock
Dr James Pittock Research Team
Dr Anna Lukasiewicz Research Team

End User representatives

John Schauble
John Schauble End-User
Monique Blason End-User
Ed Pikusa End-User
Chris Irvine
Chris Irvine End-User
Christine Roach
Christine Roach End-User
Sandra Whight End-User
David Cook End-User
Jen Chan End-User

Student researchers

Dr Sue Hunt Student Reseacher
Caroline Wenger
Dr Caroline Wenger Student Reseacher

Building community resilience to natural disasters is a complex challenge that spans many policy areas. This project tackled this intricate problem by delivering policy options that could help governments and emergency services to strengthen resilience in communities. The research identified barriers to community resilience and potential policy solutions that could be factored into the preparation, response and post-event phases of emergency management.

Three research themes were covered:

  1. What is ‘community’ and how can governments share responsibility with both communities and individuals?
  2. How can insurers play a more active role in communicating risk and encouraging hazard mitigation?
  3. Is there a better process or institution for effective lesson sharing after natural hazard events?

Findings revealed significant tensions in the shared responsibilities between governments exercising power and community empowerment; between the conflicting needs of insurers and their clients; and within traditional models of post-disaster inquiries.

In regards to effectively sharing lessons after an event, the team has proposed the trialling of restorative practices as a powerful alternative to adversarial post-event inquiries. Having identified these inherent tensions across the three themes, the researchers propose new policies are needed that could resolve or ease the tensions identified, or, in the case of disaster insurance, highlight the need to develop better models.

This could be applied in various contexts, including the selection of appropriate policy choices to encourage communities to share responsibility for emergency management with government. It could also help agencies to be better informed about how policy options can be tailored to encourage or facilitate desired outcomes.

Australia could trial restorative practices for post-disaster events by starting locally, such as for internal inquiries into accidents and near misses. If the system is effective and fosters learning without harm, then the practice could be applied to larger inquiries involving the emergency agencies and broader community interests.

Year Type Citation
2020 Book Lukasiewicz, A. & Baldwin, C. Natural Hazards and Disaster Justice: Challenges for Australia and Its Neighbours. 368 (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020). doi:10.1007/978-981-15-0466-2
2020 Book Chapter Dovers, S. Natural Hazards and Disaster Justice: Challenges for Australia and Its Neighbours 51-71 (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020). doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0466-2_3
2020 Book Chapter Eburn, M. Natural Hazards and Disaster Justice: Challenges for Australia and Its Neighbours 133-150 (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020). doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0466-2_7
2020 Journal Article Eburn, M. Emergency powers: Civil liberties in the face of disaster. Bulletin (Law Society of South Australia) 42, 6-8 (2020).
2019 Report Eburn, M. Restorative inquiries and natural disasters - symposium report. (Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC, 2019).
2018 Journal Article Dovers, S. Can major post-event inquiries and reviews contribute to lessons management?. Australian Journal of Emergency Management 33, (2018).
2017 Book Chapter McDonald, F., Eburn, M. & Smith, E. Disaster Health Management: A Primer for Students and Practitioners (Routledge, 2017). at <https://www.routledge.com/Disaster-Health-Management-A-Primer-for-Students-and-Practitioners/FitzGerald-Tarrant-Aitken-Fredriksen/p/book/9781138911185>
2017 Conference Paper Rumsewicz, M. Research proceedings from the 2017 Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC and AFAC Conference. Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC & AFAC annual conference 2017 (Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC, 2017).
2017 Conference Paper Dovers, S. Emergency management and policy: research impact and utilisation. AFAC17 (Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC, 2017).
2017 Journal Article Lukasiewicz, A., Dovers, S. & Eburn, M. Shared responsibility: the who, what and how. Environmental Hazards (2017). at <http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17477891.2017.1298510>
2017 Journal Article Eburn, M. & Dovers, S. Reviewing high-risk and high-consequence decisions: finding a safer way. Australian Journal of Emergency Management 32, (2017).
2017 Journal Article Eburn, M. & Cary, G. J. You own the fuel, but who owns the fire?. International Journal of Wildland Fire 26, 999-1008 (2017).
2017 Journal Article Steele, W. E., Hussey, K. & Dovers, S. What's critical about critical infrastructure?. Urban Policy and Research 1-13 (2017). doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08111146.2017.1282857
2017 Report Eburn, M. & Dovers, S. Learning for emergency services: looking for a new approach. (Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC, 2017).
2017 Report Eburn, M. Policies, instutions and governance of natural hazards: annual project report 2016-17. (Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC, 2017).
2016 Book Chapter Eburn, M. Research Handbook on Disasters and International Law (Edward Elgar, 2016). at <http://www.e-elgar.com/shop/research-handbook-on-disasters-and-international-law>
2016 Conference Paper Rumsewicz, M. Research proceedings from the 2016 Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC and AFAC conference. Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC & AFAC annual conference 2016 (Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC, 2016).
2016 Conference Paper Eburn, M. & Cary, G. J. You own the fuel but who owns the fire?. AFAC16 (Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC, 2016).
2016 Report Eburn, M. & Dovers, S. Discussion paper: Learning for emergency services, looking for a new approach. (Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC, 2016).
2016 Report Eburn, M. Policies, institutions and governance of natural hazards: Annual project report 2015-2016. (Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC, 2016).
2015 Conference Paper Hussey, K. & Dovers, S. Managing Critical Infrastructure in a Changing Climate: Risk, Roles, Responsibilities and Politics Conference Paper 2014. Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC and AFAC Wellington Conference 2014 (2015).
2015 Conference Paper Eburn, M., Hudson, D., Cha, I. & Dovers, S. Learning from Adversity: What Has 75 Years of Bushfire Inquiries Taught Us? Conference Paper 2014. Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC and AFAC Wellington Conference 2014 (2015).
2015 Journal Article Eburn, M. Are fire brigades liable for poor decisions?. Bulletin (Law Society of South Australia) 37, 8-11 (2015).
2015 Journal Article Eburn, M. Exposing hidden-value trade-offs: sharing wildfire management responsibility between government and citizens. International Journal of Wildland Fire 24, 162-169 (2015).
2015 Journal Article Eburn, M. & Dovers, S. Learning Lessons from Disasters: Alternatives to Royal Commissions and Other Quasi-Judicial Inquiries. Australian Journal of Public Administration 74, 495-508 (2015).
2015 Report Eburn, M. Policies, Institutions and Governance (PIGS) of Natural Hazards Annual Report 2014. (2015).
2015 Report Eburn, M. Policies, institutions and governance of natural hazards: Annual project report 2014-2015. (Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC, 2015).
2014 Journal Article Eburn, M. Exposing hidden value trade-offs: sharing wildfire management responsibility between government and citizens. International Journal of Wildland Fire 24, 162-169 (2014).
2014 Journal Article Eburn, M. & Dovers, S. Risk Management from a Legal and Governance Perspective. Journal of Integrated Disaster Risk Management 4, 61-72 (2014).
Eburn poster
25 Aug 2014
This research will identify legal, policy and governance barriers to more active community (including the...
Insuring Agaisnt Disasters: Minimising Perverse Incentives and Promoting Mitigation
18 Aug 2015
Encouraging insurers to share and communicate bushfire risk with policy holders.
Anna Lukasiewicz Conference Poster 2016
12 Aug 2016
Community resilience is dependent on more than just engineering and preperation
Policy reforms should ease shared disaster onus
30 Jun 2017
Building community resilience to natural disasters is a complex challenge that spans many policy areas. This...