The systems and networks that make up the infrastructure of society are often taken for granted, yet a disruption to just one of those systems can have dire consequences across other sectors. An entire region can become debilitated because some critical elements in the infrastructure become disabled through Natural Hazards and disaster.

Therefore identifying and managing risks to infrastructure is a significant component of the prevention and planning activities of agencies. Reliable information to identify the risk and degree of damage that can be caused by a natural hazard is very important. Risk analysis is an important step in a comprehensive risk management approach to minimise the potentially devastating impact of bushfires, floods, tropical cyclones and other natural hazards on communities.

Public Safety Agencies and emergency services play an important role in minimizing the impact of natural disasters on public infrastructure through:

• fostering strong relationships with communities, the private sector, state government and local authorities
• developing an understanding of common and individual goals before, during and after a natural disaster event
• developing a consistent national approach to the assessment of risks associated with different types of natural disasters
• a more comprehensive approach to assisting communities to recover from an event
• identifying best practice initiatives to better manage events before, during and after they occur