Innovative Australian research and researchers headlined the recent International Association of Wildland Fire’s (IAWF) 18th International Wildland Fire Safety Summit and 7th Human Dimensions of Wildland Fire Conference in Calgary, Canada at the end of October 2025.
Indigenous resilience, bushfire education, effects of bushfire smoke, community decision making, high stakes decision making and bushfire law were Natural Hazards Research Australia (the Centre) projects highlighted amongst the stellar lineup of international fire research.
Dr Bhiamie Williamson from National Indigenous Disaster Resilience and lead researcher of Colonial load and cultural conflict, Foundations in Indigenous Disaster Resilience and Community experiences of the 2022 floods in Victoria, South Australia and south-western New South Wales presented a keynote sharing emerging ideas arising from the research of National Indigenous Disaster Resilience, while International Science Advisory Panel member, Amy Cardinal Christianson was Conference Co-Chair and presented From Reports to Relationships: Indigenous perspectives on Wildfire and the Path.
Presentations representing Centre projects included:
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Seeing Through Smoke: Eye Health for Frontline Responders and Burning Eyes: Investigating Wildfire Smoke's Effect on the Eye Surface, Dr Sukanya Jaiswal - Senior Research Fellow, University of New South Wales from the Impact of bushfire smoke on the ocular surface and Managing smoke impacts on firefighter eye surface health projects.
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Can ‘good’ laws help us mitigate wildfire risk as fire regimes change? Wait… can laws even be good? Dr Phillipa McCormack - Senior Research Fellow, The University of Adelaide and Early Career Researcher – Development Fellow on Bushfire mitigation and hazard reduction in Australian law.
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Empowering Young Changemakers: Schools in Fire Country and the Future of Community Bushfire Resilience and Schools in Fire Country – empowering young people as agents for change, Neil Munro – Safer together and Country Fire Authority on the Schools in Fire Country project.
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Information sharing and public sense making before, during and after a wildfire, Dr Erica Kuligowski – Principal Researcher, RMIT University and Dr Chloe Begg - Senior Research Scientist, Country Fire Authority sharing findings from the Predictions in public: understanding the design, communication and dissemination of predictive maps to the public project.
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The Warnings Trap – Why the Public Misreads Wildfire Warnings and What We Can Do About It, Dr Chloe Begg - Senior Research Scientist, Country Fire Authority from the Predictions in public: understanding the design, communication and dissemination of predictive maps to the public project.
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Training decision making to enhance the management of wildland fire, Prof Chris Bearman – Central Queensland University sharing findings and tools from the Enhancing emergency management decision making project.
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