National research impact was showcased at Natural Hazards Research Australia’s (the Centre) annual National Research Showcase at Parliament House in Canberra in May, with researchers and end-users sharing project findings and impacts.
These showcases are an opportunity for researchers and end-users from across the country to explain Centre-funded projects, the methodology, findings and how the research is and will be used to make communities safer.
Hosted at Parliament House on Wednesday 6 May, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Deputy Coordinator-General Dr Jill Charker presented the opening address, where she expressed the importance of the Centre’s approach to research.
“At NEMA, we highly value research that translates into practical action in order to support better decision-making and research that can be applied to improve disaster preparedness, response, and recovery,” Dr Charker said.
“We also recognize and value diverse perspectives in research including the deep and continuing connection of First Nations’ Australians to Country – and those perspectives are really quite essential in supporting a culturally informed approach to emergency management,” she said.
Dr Charker recommended three actions for researchers to ensure research remains accessed and applied: engage stakeholders early through forums – such as those the Centre hosts or supports – clearly communicate findings and encourage opportunities for two-way knowledge sharing between researchers and decision makers.
Following Dr Charker’s address, ACT Emergency Services Agency Commissioner Wayne Phillips spoke about why research innovation is so important today and into the future.
“Natural hazards aren't abstract concepts or neat research questions – they're lived experiences, they’re operational realities. They're the phone calls at 2am, the decisions with imperfect information and the weight of responsibility that doesn't go away once our headlines do,” Commissioner Phillips said.
“Research is not something that happens after the fire, the flood or the storm. It's happening during, before and increasingly ahead of time, shaping the decisions we make when the pressure is on,” he said.
“When it works well, the line between research and operations almost disappears. That's why partnerships like those with Natural Hazards Research Australia matter. Not as an academic exercise, but as a capability multiplier for people who stand on the fire ground, manage coordination centres, or make calls with incomplete information but full accountability”.
The first researcher to present their project’s findings was A/Prof Owen Price from the University of Wollongong, research leader of the Centre’s Why fly? How do we know that aerial firefighting operations are effective and efficient? project.
“The problem statement or why we might do this is, first of all, that aerial firefighting is the most expensive component of operational firefighting or, in fact, fire risk management overall,” A/Prof Price said.
He said to evaluate aerial firefighting, to report on it and to understand how it works best, you need to have a good understanding of fundamental components, which, at the moment, we do not have.
“So, that is: what were you trying to achieve with this aerial suppression? What was actually done? What was dropped? Where was it dropped? When was it dropped? and the outcome, which is what effect did it have on the fire behaviour,” he said.
Discussing the application of the research, end-user and AFAC CEO Rob Webb said that the project outcomes will help to make a “massive difference”.
After this presentation, research leader of the Centre’s Best practice for tracking and responding to potentially traumatic event exposure project Alexandra Howard from Phoenix Australia discussed the context of the project and the different ways working in the emergency management sector could impact mental health.
“I’d just like to ask you to take a moment to imagine a firefighter returning from a series of callouts across a summer of intense bushfires or a police officer or a surf lifesaver facing incident after incident across their multi-year career. There might be a single tragedy or traumatic event that changes the course of that person's mental health or there may be no single dramatic moment to point to,” Ms Howard said.
Surf Life Saving Australia National Research Manager and Dr Jaz Lawes spoke about how surf lifesavers (often working alongside emergency services) are also exposed to potentially traumatic incidents, and how in previous research into the impacts of such events on emergency responders, surf lifesavers were not included.
Dr Lawes said this inspired her organisation to launch their own mental health project, leading her to then contribute to outputs of the Best practice for tracking and responding to potentially traumatic event exposure project – such as the Good Practice Principles Guide and audit.
“They're really practical tools that you can easily and flexibly apply to your situation and contextualise what you need,” Dr Lawes said.
“I have no doubt that they'll be helpful for lots of different organisations to start thinking about or consider how they might track and measure potentially traumatic incidents,” she said.
Finally, Dr Julian Marx from the University of Melbourne, lead researcher of the Centre’s post-event studies Community experiences of flood warnings and evacuation responses during the 2025 NSW Mid North Coast floods and Social media in community experiences of Tropical Cyclone Alfred discussed research findings and the challenges agencies face when disseminating information through social media during emergencies.
Following Dr Marx’s presentation, New South Wales State Emergency Service Commissioner Mike Wassing AFSM spoke about how this study has helped to change the way his organisation thinks about communication, commenting on the importance of independent, end-user informed research.
Watch the full replay of the webinar below or view it on the Centre’s YouTube channel.