Collaboration is key for communications cluster success

Rolling and dynamic research is needed to meet the challenges of the future – that’s the belief of Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC lead researcher Prof Vivienne Tippett from the Queensland University of Technology. 

In an interview with the Cooperative Research Centres Association, Prof Tippett praised the program and spoke of the significant outcomes of the CRC Communications and warnings research cluster and what this means for disaster risk reduction for Australia. Prof Tippett was interviewed as leader of the research team awarded the association's peak honour, the Excellence in Innovation Award, at the association's annual conference in Adelaide this year.

“In the absence of funding agencies like the CRC… this work would probably not have been able to be funded by many other strategies, not at the national level.  This particular model, that emphasises a closely interactive model between agency and research expertise, is critical to getting these sorts of things right,” said Prof Tippett.

Prof Tippett covered the impacts of research within the CRC communications cluster. This research is improving management of animals in emergencies, empowering children to become agents of change by sharing their disaster preparedness education with their families, and is shaping warnings that save lives. 

While the impacts of these projects are significant for the community, the big challenges of the future emphasise the need for ongoing research.

Prof Tippett explained that the complexity in creating effective messaging for communities will be amplified as Australia continues to face the challenges of new technologies and changing demographics, in the context of natural hazard events that are becoming more frequent and severe.

Serving diverse communities in the changing landscape will require connecting the research evidence with operational agencies and the media, to build on the gains made in the communications and warnings field. Because, as Prof Tippett said, “When you work in partnership, you can actually facilitate change.”