Annual report 2014-15

The Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC annual report for 2014-15.

Over the year, the ongoing development of the research agenda involved extensive engagement with end-users and researchers.

Building upon the foundation work that was completed in the first year of the CRC, the focus during this reporting period was on ensuring the research projects were appropriately resourced to achieve their milestones with a clear understanding of how the research would be ultimately used. This involved a series of events between the CRC partners and research groups, including two national Research Advisory Forums, hosted by partner agencies, and a major conference in Wellington, New Zealand, held jointly with the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC). Highlights included:

• The CRC made a submission to the Productivity Commission's Inquiry into Natural Disaster Funding Arrangements and was invited to participate in the public hearings.
• Internationally, the CRC was prominent in a number of areas including being invited to take on the role of the United Nations Integrated Research on Disaster Risk National Committee and then to participate at the Third World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan.
• Formal alliances were made with the US Forest Service and the University of Coimbra, Portugal. A keynote address on the work of the CRC was delivered at the 7th International Conference on Forest Fire Research in Portugal.
• High profile visitors to Australia sought out the CRC, including from the Saudi Wildlife Authority and Civil Defence Authority; and from the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism in the United States.