Australia's top science and statistical agencies welcome world-leading climate service
05/05/2021
Australia's leading knowledge agencies have welcomed the Commonwealth Government's $209 million announcement for a new Australian Climate Service that will support better and faster decision making to ensure communities, infrastructure, and businesses are safe, secure and resilient in the face of natural hazards.
The new Service – which brings together world-leading expertise from the Bureau of Meteorology (the Bureau), Geoscience Australia, CSIRO, and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) – will support communities and business to better anticipate, manage and adapt to the risks that a changing climate will bring.
The Australian Climate Service will initially focus on supporting Emergency Management Australia and the Government's new National Recovery and Resilience Agency.
The Bureau's CEO and Director of Meteorology, Dr Andrew Johnson, said the announcement is significant for all Australians.
"We know just how devastating natural hazard events have been for communities all around the country over recent years. From the Black Summer bushfires and large-scale smoke events to devastating tropical cyclones and floods.
"We also know that with our changing climate, these events are likely to become more intense and impactful in future.
"The new Australian Climate Service will help Australians better prepare for natural disasters well before they occur, by not just looking days ahead but years and decades. It will also enhance the Australian Government's response during times of extreme weather, letting the community know much earlier what is coming, what's in its way, how it will be affected and the consequences of that for the businesses and households."
Geoscience Australia Chief Executive Officer Dr James Johnson said the partnership was an exciting first for the country.
"This new capability will enable enhanced decision making for Emergency Management Australia and the new National Recovery and Resilience Agency.
'The Australian Climate Service will generate new information and insights that are required to understand future climate and natural hazard threats and ensure better decisions are being made on things like how to build and where."
"Through this ground-breaking partnership we will work with Emergency Management Australia and the new National Recovery and Resilience Agency to provide data and intelligence to support each phase of the emergency management continuum; Prevention, Preparedness, Response and Recovery."
The new Service – which brings together world-leading expertise from the Bureau of Meteorology (the Bureau), Geoscience Australia, CSIRO, and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) – will support communities and business to better anticipate, manage and adapt to the risks that a changing climate will bring.
The Australian Climate Service will initially focus on supporting Emergency Management Australia and the Government's new National Recovery and Resilience Agency.
The Bureau's CEO and Director of Meteorology, Dr Andrew Johnson, said the announcement is significant for all Australians.
"We know just how devastating natural hazard events have been for communities all around the country over recent years. From the Black Summer bushfires and large-scale smoke events to devastating tropical cyclones and floods.
"We also know that with our changing climate, these events are likely to become more intense and impactful in future.
"The new Australian Climate Service will help Australians better prepare for natural disasters well before they occur, by not just looking days ahead but years and decades. It will also enhance the Australian Government's response during times of extreme weather, letting the community know much earlier what is coming, what's in its way, how it will be affected and the consequences of that for the businesses and households."
Geoscience Australia Chief Executive Officer Dr James Johnson said the partnership was an exciting first for the country.
"This new capability will enable enhanced decision making for Emergency Management Australia and the new National Recovery and Resilience Agency.
'The Australian Climate Service will generate new information and insights that are required to understand future climate and natural hazard threats and ensure better decisions are being made on things like how to build and where."
"Through this ground-breaking partnership we will work with Emergency Management Australia and the new National Recovery and Resilience Agency to provide data and intelligence to support each phase of the emergency management continuum; Prevention, Preparedness, Response and Recovery."
CSIRO's Chief Executive Dr Larry Marshall welcomed the announcement from Government and said the establishment of the partnership would bring big benefits to industry, as well as first line responders and local communities across Australia.
“We have a deluge of data, but by turning it into insights, this will lead to tangible actions that benefit Australia. By quantifying the real risks for our people, industries, infrastructure, and supply chains, we can get ahead of what is coming next and be ready to meet it head on.
“It will enable us to prepare better, to support communities across the country, and get back to business faster. Solutions from science will build the resilience of Australia’s economy to natural hazards in the future," said Dr Marshall.
Australian Statistician Dr David Gruen said the partnership will create new knowledge to support Australia’s response to natural hazards.
"The Australian Climate Service will enable us to combine ABS data with critical weather, climate and hazard information in new ways. It will give our customers faster access to information on the characteristics of households and businesses across Australia to deliver a step change in emergency management preparedness, response and recovery activities. This is an exciting step for Australia."
The service, which will formally commence operating on 1 July 2021, will inform emergency management preparedness, response, recovery and reconstruction activities for bushfire, flood, heatwave, tropical cyclones, severe weather (such as thunder and hailstorms), large-scale smoke events, earthquake and tsunami.
To find out more about the service that Australian Climate Service will provide for the benefit of all Australians, visit acs.gov.au
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