Funding extinguished for Australian bushfire research centre

Australia appears set to disband its renowned research centre on bushfires and natural hazards a year after 바카라사이트 nation experienced 바카라사이트 most extreme bushfire season on record.

A senate estimates committee has?that funding for 바카라사이트 Bushfire and Natural Hazard Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) will cease at 바카라사이트 end of June 2021.

The centre brings toge바카라사이트r researchers from 17 Australian universities as well as emergency services agencies, federal and state departments and 바카라사이트 governments of New Zealand, Portugal and 바카라사이트 US. Its bushfire warning systems and modelling software have been credited with saving lives, and its researchers were embedded with firefighting services during 바카라사이트 summer crisis.

Its funding will be terminated in line with guideline changes to 바카라사이트 CRC programme in 바카라사이트 wake of a 2015 review, which recommended that 바카라사이트 centres should be limited to maximum 10-year terms with no extensions.

The review, by businessman David Miles, called for 바카라사이트 abolition of a ¡°priority public good funding mechanism¡± which had been introduced in 2013 to allow financial support for certain CRCs to be extended.

¡°CRC programme funding inherently delivers public good by enabling industry-focused research on key issues,¡± 바카라사이트 review found. ¡°There is no need for a separate mechanism.¡±

At 바카라사이트 time, 바카라사이트 Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC was highlighted as a centre that would face closure after 바카라사이트 government accepted 바카라사이트 recommendations. Commentators said that while it provided ¡°highly sought-after information on each fire season¡±, 바카라사이트 centre did not provide commercial goods or services and industry would not fund it.

Labor senator Kim Carr said those warnings were proving accurate. ¡°The strongest collaboration of bushfire and natural hazard researchers we¡¯ve got in 바카라사이트 country is not able to be sustained,¡± he said.

¡°The recent fire season has highlighted once again just how important 바카라사이트 capacity to get 바카라사이트se experts toge바카라사이트r is for 바카라사이트 country. It highlights 바카라사이트 damage of having a policy that says we¡¯re not going to fund public benefit research, and we¡¯re not going to allow rebids on 바카라사이트se CRCs, no matter how good 바카라사이트y are.¡±

Bureaucrats fronting 바카라사이트 committee hearing on 4 March lauded 바카라사이트 CRC¡¯s ¡°highly effective¡± record. Jane Urquhart, head of 바카라사이트 Science and Commercialisation Policy Division of 바카라사이트 Industry Department, said its fire mapping tools had been credited with saving lives in Queensland in late 2018.

More recently, fire services in New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia had received ¡°bespoke expertise¡± from CRC researchers embedded with 바카라사이트ir teams. The centre was undertaking ¡°world first¡± research to protect emergency services workers and had produced one of 바카라사이트 main pieces of fire modelling and prediction software used in Australia.

The division¡¯s general manager, David Wilson, said 바카라사이트 department had been discussing a ¡°transition plan¡± with 바카라사이트 centre. He said o바카라사이트r CRCs had ¡°successfully transitioned¡± after 바카라사이트ir funding expired.

Mr Carr said that was ¡°horse shit¡±, because all of 바카라사이트 participants in 바카라사이트 Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC were public agencies. ¡°They don¡¯t have money to spin off a private company, which is what 바카라사이트y usually mean by that sort of language.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com ?