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Australia’s foremost forum on disaster risk reduction and community resilience research opens tomorrow in Adelaide, bringing together hundreds of emergency management practitioners, policy makers, researchers and First Nations representatives for three days of knowledge exchange to shape how we prepare for, respond to and recover from natural hazards.
Bushfires, floods, extreme heat, earthquakes, storms, and more – hear from experts about how the behaviour of natural hazards in Australia is changing and how innovative research is helping to protect lives and properties.
The Natural Hazards Research Forum 2026 (NHRF26), hosted by Natural Hazards Research Australia (the Centre), runs from 10 to 12 June at the National Wine Centre with the theme Leading to impact for safer, more resilient and sustainable communities reflecting the Centre’s commitment to translating rigorous research into practical outcomes for the people and communities most at risk.
FIVE YEARS OF RESEARCH IMPACT
Since its establishment in 2021, the Centre has become the nation’s natural hazards research capability, directly informing emergency management, policy and community preparedness.
Funded by the Australian Government, the Centre has built an extensive portfolio spanning bushfire, flood, extreme heat, earthquake, storm and compound hazard research — working hand-in-hand with emergency services agencies, local governments and at-risk communities.
As the Centre enters its fifth year, NHRF26 showcases how that investment is paying dividends: research findings embedded in operational doctrine, risk tools adopted by state agencies and community engagement approaches reshaping how Australians understand and act on hazard risk.
OPENING ADDRESS AND MINISTERIAL WELCOME
NHRF26 will be opened by the Hon Rhiannon Pearce MP, South Australia’s Minister for Emergency Services and Correctional Services, underscoring the strong partnership between research and government in building a safer Australia.
FIRST NATIONS OPENING ADDRESS
Associate Professor Veronica Matthews of the Centre for Rural Health at the University of Sydney will deliver the First Nations opening address, centring Indigenous knowledge, experience and leadership in Australia’s approach to natural hazard resilience — a perspective that is increasingly recognised as essential to effective and equitable disaster management.
STATE OF THE NATION: WHERE AUSTRALIA STANDS
Pat Hetherington, Interim Coordinator-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), will deliver the annual State of the Nation briefing — a system-wide assessment of Australia’s emergency management landscape, progress made and the challenges that lie ahead.
INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES: AUSTRALIA AND THE SENDAI FRAMEWORK
Professor Saini Yang, Executive Director of the Integrated Research on Disaster Risk International (IRDR) Programme Office in Beijing, will present on IRDR’s work supporting the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. The presentation will place Australia’s efforts within the global context of disaster risk reduction, highlighting shared challenges and opportunities for international collaboration.
KEYNOTE PANEL: ENVISIONING THE FUTURE, INFORMED BY THE PAST
One of NHRF26’s most anticipated sessions brings together some of Australia’s foundational voices in natural hazards research for a conversation as rare as it is timely.
Spanning decades of collective expertise, this panel will reflect on the insights, breakthroughs and policy applications that have endured — and explore how the field must continue to evolve to keep communities safer in an uncertain future.
Panellists include:
- Dr Greg Ayers, former Centre Director and CEO of the Bureau of Meteorology
- Emeritus Professor Russell Blong, Founder of the Natural Hazards Research Centre, Macquarie University
- Naomi Brown, Former CEO, AFAC
- Emeritus Professor John Handmer, RMIT University and Fellow of the Australian Academy of Social Sciences
- Dr Debra Parkinson, Honorary Fellow and Adjunct Research Fellow, Monash University
CLOSING KEYNOTE: LESSONS FROM THE 2025 LA FIRES
NHRF26’s final keynote and panel session will examine one of the most significant fire events in recent memory: the 2025 Californian fires.
Drawing on first-hand research from the fireground and findings gathered since January 2025, this session will explore what Australia can learn — and must urgently act on.
Dr Faraz Hedayati of the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety in North Carolina will deliver the keynote address, followed by a panel discussion featuring:
- Brett Loughlin, South Australia Country Fire Service
- Kylie Macfarlane, Insurance Council of Australia
- Melissa Pexton, Department of Fire and Emergency Services, Western Australia
QUOTE
“Natural Hazards Research Australia was created with a clear mandate: produce research that makes a difference. Five years on, that research is embedded in emergency management operations, shaping policy, and — most importantly — helping protect lives. NHRF26 is where we take stock of that progress and challenge ourselves to go further.”
— Andrew Gissing, CEO - Natural Hazards Research Australia
ABOUT THE NATURAL HAZARDS RESEARCH FORUM 2026
NHRF26 takes place 10–12 June 2026 at the National Wine Centre, Adelaide, South Australia. The Forum is convened by Natural Hazards Research Australia and brings together disaster risk reduction and resilience practitioners, emergency services representatives, policy makers and researchers to engage with the latest research and evidence on natural hazards. For program information and registration, visit www.naturalhazards.com.au.
ABOUT NATURAL HAZARDS RESEARCH AUSTRALIA
Natural Hazards Research Australia is Australia’s national research centre for natural hazards, established in 2021 with funding from the Australian Government. The Centre conducts and supports research across the full spectrum of natural hazards — including bushfire, flood, extreme heat, earthquake and storm — to build the evidence base needed for safer, more resilient and sustainable communities. The Centre works in partnership with emergency management agencies, governments, industry and communities across Australia.
