The project has been a collaboration between the Tasmanian Department of State Growth and Geoscience Australia, with geotechnical and geological support from Mineral Resources Tasmania (MRT) in the same Department. The project has augmented a range of information products developed by Geoscience Australia (GA) in the areas of earthquake hazard, community exposure, vulnerability and retrofit measures. These were used to assess the current earthquake risk in Tasmanian communities and the opportunities to mitigate it in the high pedestrian exposure precinct of the Hobart central business district. In augmenting the inputs to this project, Mineral Resources Tasmania has facilitated access to available geotechnical and building exposure information. Mineral Resources Tasmania has also contributed their geological knowledge of the state of Tasmania in developing the deliverables. The outcomes of the project have been communicated at workshops convened in Hobart and Launceston. Attendees included representatives from emergency management, local government, police, fire agencies, ambulance, critical infrastructure and design professionals. Significantly, resources were identified that can inform decision making to address the risk posed by the most vulnerable, and often valuable from a heritage perspective, building type, older URM. The hazard, scenario impact and risk products have been provided as spatial layers to support state initiatives in the Planning, Preparedness, Response and Recovery areas.

<div>The region of coastal South East Queensland (SEQ) is a large concentration of population, industry, and infrastructure important to the economy of Queensland and of Australia. The region is also subject to severe storms that generate damaging winds, particularly as result of thunderstorm and tropical cyclone activity. Older residential housing has historically been the most damaged in such storms, contributing disproportionately to community risk. This risk posed by severe wind is not well understood, nor are the optimal strategies for managing, and potentially reducing, this risk. In this hazard context, this project was initiated based on a joint proposal developed by Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES), Geoscience Australia and the six coastal local governments in SEQ in January 2020. The objective was to gain an improved understanding of the wind risks in this region and to develop actionable information that could inform future strategies to manage and reduce risk in these areas, with broader application to other local government areas. The project proved to be of great interest to a broader range of stakeholders, including the insurance industry, some of whom became formal partners, while others participated as observers. </div><div><br></div><div>The management of wind risk requires a sound evidence base for decision makers. While the information developed in this project has significant uncertainties, the outcomes are considered a representative view of wind risk in a coastal region that is home to nearly 60% of the Queensland population. The work has developed an improved understanding of the three primary risk elements of wind hazard, residential exposure and vulnerability. This has been achieved through a broad collaboration that has entailed the sharing of data, domain expertise and consensus building. This, in turn, has been translated into an assessment of scenario impacts, local scale risk, and the nuancing effects of resilience on the outcomes. An exploration was carried out of the effectiveness of a range of retrofit strategies directed at addressing the residential buildings in our communities that contribute the most wind risk in South East Queensland. The outcome are expected to be a valuable resource for all the project partners and stakeholders in the areas of planning, preparation, response, recovery and strategic mitigation.</div>