The Australian Government's Innovation Report

PRIORITY 4 – Safeguarding Australia
Critical infrastructure
Photo credits: BMRC
Tsunami Warning: BMRC has focused its efforts on research
into tsunami modelling, data assimilation into tsunami models,
and development of a model-based tsunami warning system. The
Australian Tsunami Warning System is a four-year project, jointly
managed by the bureau, Geoscience Australia (GA) and Emergency
Management Australia, and is committed to implementation of
a fully operational warning system by 2009. The system aims to
provide Australians with at least 90 minutes warning of an
impending tsunami, to support international efforts to establish
an Indian Ocean tsunami warning system and to contribute to
facilitation of tsunami warnings in the southwest Pacific.
Identifying vulnerabilities of critical infrastructure systems: The Australian Government takes an all-hazards
approach to developing critical infrastructure protection and counter terrorism including modelling and analysis.
Working with the Attorney General’s Department, GA’s Critical Infrastructure Project is developing an advanced
spatial intelligence capability for the nation, using spatial information, visualisation techniques and risk analysis
relevant to critical infrastructure protection.
As part of this, GA is developing a secure computational facility with the capability to model and analyse
critical infrastructure vulnerability. This work, which is undertaken in collaboration with CSIRO, is focusing on
identifying vulnerabilities of critical infrastructure systems, and mapping the system intra- and inter-dependencies.
In so doing, the impact of a system failure, attack or natural disaster can be modelled and analysed to determine
the downstream effects for input to mitigation efforts. This analysis can also be used as input to obtain a more
complete picture of the total physical, social and economic impact of a disaster.
The initial focus of the project’s collaborative work over the next two years is the development of an interdependency
model for three infrastructure sectors, energy, banking and finance, and communications.
Natural hazard disaster mitigation projects: GA’s role in natural hazards disaster mitigation encompasses
natural hazard and risk research for a wide range of risk management applications including disaster mitigation,
emergency response and long-term recovery.
The application of spatial information and risk-assessment methodologies is especially relevant to the agency’s
disaster-mitigation studies, which are undertaken in partnership with state and territory governments. The
Disaster Mitigation Australia Package, administered by the Department of Transport and Regional Services,
includes a national approach to risk assessment and national disaster-mitigation strategies.
The agency’s Risk Research Group fulfils the risk assessment and data development needs of the disaster package
with emphasis on severe storms, tropical cyclone, and earthquake hazards. The group also integrates risk
information on flood and bushfire hazards to help enable a national perspective.
The group has formulated a national risk assessment framework and a nationally consistent approach to
natural hazard data collection, research and analysis — a research contribution recognised through a 2005
Australian Safer Communities Award presented by the Attorney-General.
The group is also developing a comprehensive earthquake database, which includes information on seismicity
and waveform. Building on preliminary work initiated in 2004, the project is conducting a comprehensive
study of tsunami hazard in the Australian region.
Chapter 3 - National research priorities 113