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."
