Disaster experts from across Australia attended the fourth annual Natural Hazards Research Forum in Adelaide on 18 - 20 June 2025.  

The Forum is Australia’s leading place for discussion on natural hazards research. It provides an opportunity to:

• connect on leading hazards research and innovation
• reflect on lessons learned through research on recent disasters.

It helps us determine how to build safer, stronger, and more resilient communities in the future.

Working together to strengthen Australia's disaster resilience

This Forum has supported research on natural hazards which impact community resilience and quality of life in Australia. The Forums work to strengthen resilience against these hazards. 

Key themes from the 2025 forum

This year the Forum focused on:

• Transformation to be ahead of ready – using research to take big and bold action to reduce disaster risk.
• Looked at lasting changes needed to make Australian communities safer and stronger.
• Connections: workforce to leadership, infrastructure to society and mitigation to adaptation.
• Participants discovered ongoing projects and studies that build stronger connections. They also encouraged sharing personal experiences and ideas.

Supporting change through partnership

This is the third year our Coordinator-General, Brendan Moon, attended. He joined experts over the three-day program and provided the annual state of the nation keynote briefing.

“Risks are shifting. In the last 5 years, we’ve seen many frequent, low-impact events that overlap and cascade into one another. We need to invest in capabilities and infrastructure for the future,” said Brendan.

“The essential function performed by natural hazard research, is that it informs our work. It helps us open our yes to risk. It also guides us on where to invest our time and resources to boost our disaster resilience.”

Looking ahead

This year’s Forum reaffirmed its role as a vital platform for advancing Australia’s resilience to natural hazards. This year’s talks highlighted the need for bold change and real connections. They stressed the value of long-term thinking, teamwork, and smart investing.

The insights showed how risk is changing and highlighted the importance of research for national resilience. The Forum plays a key role in building safer and more sustainable communities across Australia.