I write this from the SBEnrc’s temporary offices at QUT in Brisbane as, like so many Australians in recent weeks, we have been impacted by the floods that have inundated our country. Our inconveniences and losses are minor compared to those of so many. The SBEnrc Board and my team would like to offer our sincere wishes to all those who have been affected by the floods, here in Queensland as well as in NSW and Victoria.
However, the flood events of recent weeks are a timely reminder that we, as researchers and as infrastructure and building professionals, have a responsibility to our communities to seek solutions so that future natural disasters have less of an impact.
Some of you will have read this article, published earlier this week by The Fifth Estate. This article asks: How do we need to change planning and infrastructure in the future so we can be prepared when there are more extreme weather events?
Our SBEnrc stands ready to play an important partnership role in undertaking applied research to help improve sustainability and resilience, and seek solutions to help communities mitigate the social, environmental and economic impact of natural disasters.
I would like to say thank you to our friends and stakeholders who have contacted us in recent weeks to offer support. Many of you know that our office building in Margaret Street in Brisbane’s downtown area was flooded. The huge volume of water damaged the building’s electrical hub, which was in the basement. This meant that for a period of time we did not receive phone calls or faxes and if you did leave a message please contact us again.
Finally, I would like to thank QUT for providing us with temporary offices, based at Level 3, G Block, Gardens Point Campus, where I expect we will be for the next month. This will enable us to maintain our service to partners while our building is repaired.
Best regards
Keith Hampson
CEO