Beyond Bushfires

10 Years Beyond Bushfires is a continuation of the Beyond Bushfires research which provides insight into how people are managing 10 years on from the 2009 bushfires and build an understanding of the long term experiences of those affected by disasters. What we have found from the original Beyond Bushfires study has been incredibly important. The findings are being used to improve emergency recovery planning and services across Australia and internationally, and they have even been shared by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. We know that 10 years on from the 2009 fires, the impacts continue to be felt by many. However, these long-term experiences are not as well-understood or as well-researched as short-term recovery. In response to this gap in knowledge, the State Government, Emergency Management Victoria and Australian Red Cross have provided funding for the 10 Years Beyond Bushfires study. The study involved another round of surveys in 2019. We contacted the same people who participated last time, so that we traced people's experiences over time. This research captured a range of different experiences. For this reason, the study includes residents from communities that were selected for diversity on a range of factors including level of bushfire impact, demographics, community size and location. It was the inclusion of people with many different experiences that made the Beyond Bushfires research findings so strong and influential.

If you would like to learn more about this research, please contact info-beyondbushfires@unimelb.edu.au or Lisa Gibbs (lgibbs@unimelb.edu.au).

You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Recovery Capitals (ReCap)

The Beyond Bushfires findings also feature in the Guide to Disaster Recovery Capitals from the Recovery Capitals (ReCap) project.

Prof Lisa Gibbs discusses both projects in this video.