Weather and climate are key issues for the insurance industry. Over the past 40 years, 19 of the 20 largest property losses in Australia have been weather related, resulting in over $10 billion damage. It is in this context that the Australian insurance industry provides a financial recovery mechanism from weather related disasters by evaluating, pricing and spreading the risk of such events, and of paying claims when they arise.

The Insurance Council of Australia’s policy on Improving Community Resilience to Extreme Weather Events acknowledges that “.... while little can be done to stop extreme weather, the level of damage sustained by a community can be mitigated by planning and preparing for such events. Communities that develop a high level of resilience are better able to withstand a crisis and have an enhanced ability to recover from residual impacts. Communities that possess resilience characteristics can also arrive on the other side of a crisis in a stronger position than pre-event.”

In response to the devastation caused by extreme weather events, the Insurance Council has established the Resilience Award scheme to promote programs of work which increase community resilience.  The 2010 Award was looking for “.... creative ideas which demonstrate measures or concepts that improve an individual’s, business’ or community’s ability to withstand and recover from extreme weather events.”

Professor Stephen Robson won the award for his design of an emergency alert warning device known as YellowBird.  The device is a simple modification to standard AM/FM radio circuitry that allows (during an emergency) a tone to be broadcast in routine radio transmissions, and to automatically switch on the radio to receive emergency warnings.

The Institute and the Australian Security Research Centre were also highly commended by the Insurance Council for their contributions to enhancing society’s understanding of resilience in Australia.

Further information on the Award can be obtained by contacting the Institute at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it