Research leader

Dr Ilona McNeill Research Leader

Research team

Prof John Handmer
Prof John Handmer Research Team
Prof David Johnston
Prof David Johnston Research Team
Dr Paul Dudgeon Research Team
A/Prof Patrick Dunlop Research Team
A/Prof Piers Howe Research Team

End User representatives

Andrew Richards
Andrew Richards End-User
Anthony Clark
Anthony Clark End-User
Fiona Dunstan
Fiona Dunstan End-User
Glenn Benham End-User
Gwynne Brennan
Gwynne Brennan End-User
John Richardson
John Richardson End-User
Karen Enbom
Karen Enbom End-User
Sandra Barber
Sandra Barber End-User
Suellen Flint
Suellen Flint End-User
Trent Curtin End-User
Simon Goodwin End-User
Michelle Coombe End-User
Phil Canham End-User
Tracey Leotta End-User
Susan Davie
Susan Davie End-User
Gregory Wild End-User
David Webber End-User

The increasing frequency and complexity of natural hazards poses a challenge for community resilience. Communication and education of risk mitigation strategies play an essential role in building and maintaining resilience through preparation and planning by residents.

This project combined expertise in communication, social and consumer psychology, and disaster and emergency management. It identified barriers and enablers in residents’ decision making, preparing, and planning by examining residents’ intended use of different types of triggers for action during hazards. This included when to start evacuating and what information source to use, with the aim of trying to understand why some residents form a better-quality household plan with safer intended triggers than other residents.

Surveys were conducted across bushfire and flood-prone areas in New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. Findings include that the majority of people do not use official information sources about these hazards, so changing the content in these sources will only have limited overall effect. However, those that do use official information sources are better prepared and more motivated to prepare due to a greater sense of risk perception.

Year Type Citation
2016 Journal Article McNeill, I. M., Dunlop, P., Skinner, T. C. & Morrison, D. A value and expectancy based approach to understanding residents' intended response to a wildfire threat. International Journal of Wildland Fire 25, (2016).
2015 Journal Article Cao, Y., Boruff, B. J. & McNeill, I. M. Defining Sufficient Household Preparedness for Active Wildfire Defense: Toward an Australian Baseline. Natural Hazards Review 10, (2015).
2016 Journal Article McNeill, I. M. & Dunlop, P. Development and preliminary validation of the Constructive and Unconstructive Worry Questionnaire: A measure of individual differences in constructive versus unconstructive worry. Psychological Assessment 28, 1368-1378 (2016).
2016 Journal Article McNeill, I. M. & Dunlop, P. Development and preliminary validation of the Constructive and Unconstructive Worry Questionnaire: A measure of individual differences in constructive versus unconstructive worry. Psychological Assessment 28, 1368-1378 (2016).
2019 Conference Paper Gagné, M. et al. Emergency volunteer retention: can a culture of inclusiveness help?. AFAC19 powered by INTERSCHUTZ - Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC Research Forum (Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience, 2019). at <https://knowledge.aidr.org.au/resources/australian-journal-of-emergency-management-monograph-series/>
2017 Report McNeill, I. M., Boldero, J. & McIntosh, E. Household preparedness for bushfires: the role of residents' engagement with information sources. (Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC, 2017).
2015 Report McNeill, I. M. & Boldero, J. Improving the Role of Hazard Communications in Increasing Residents' Preparedness and Response Planning Annual Report 2014. (2015).
2015 Report McNeill, I. M. & Boldero, J. Improving the role of hazard communications in increasing residents’ preparedness and response planning: Annual project report 2014-2015. (Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC, 2015).
2016 Report McNeill, I. M. & Boldero, J. Increasing residents' preparedness and planning for natural hazards: Annual project report 2015-2016. (Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC, 2016).
2017 Report McNeill, I. M. & Boldero, J. Increasing residents' preparedness and planning for natural hazards: annual project report 2016-17. (Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC, 2017).
2018 Report McNeill, I. M. Increasing residents’ preparedness and planning for natural hazards : annual project report 2017-18. (Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC, 2018).
2015 Journal Article McNeill, I. M., Dunlop, P., Skinner, T. C. & Morrison, D. Predicting delay in residents’ decisions on defending v. evacuating through antecedents of decision avoidance. International Journal of Wildland Fire 24, 153-161 (2015).
2016 Journal Article McNeill, I. M., Dunlop, P., Skinner, T. C. & Morrison, D. Predicting risk-mitigating behaviors from indecisiveness and trait-anxiety: two cognitive pathways to task avoidance. Journal of Personality 84, 36-45 (2016).
Improving the role of hazard communications in increasing residents' preparedness and response planning
25 Aug 2014
Communication and education of risk mitigation strategies play an essential role in building and maintaining...
Does the Use of Information Sources Lead to Better Hazard Preparedness?
18 Aug 2015
In two studies amongst residents of bushfire and flood prone areas we examined whether residents who actively...
Ilona McNeill Conference Poster 2016
12 Aug 2016
Children form a vulnerable demographic in both the response and recovery phases of natural disasters
Improving the role of hazard communications in increasing residents’ preparedness for bushfires and floods: A summary of project findings
18 Sep 2018
This project focused on the evaluation of communication strategies and identification of barriers and...