Western researcher wins Resilient Australia Award
Professor Andrew Gorman-Murray from the School of Social Sciences has won, in collaboration, the Resilient Australia National Research Impact Award for the project, 'Queering Disasters - a new research, policy and practice paradigm'.
For more than a decade the Queering Disasters program has showcased a sustained program of policy-oriented research, spurred international research, and led to the development of Australian national guidelines for queer-inclusive disaster risk reduction.
The program – led in collaboration Professor Daley Dominey-Howes from the University of Sydney and Dr Scott McKinnon from the Australian National Library – has also resulted in a shift in the position of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) on the inclusion of queer people despite international protests and, led to the development of a new sub-discipline of disaster scholarship termed ‘queer disaster studies’.
Professor Andrew Gorman-Murray hopes the on-going work of the team will make a difference to everyday lives in the face of disasters in Australia and globally.
“The primary winners of this work include ordinary queer people everywhere, who, for the first time are increasingly being ‘seen’ in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) activities and the emergency management sector for whom new ways of practicing are being identified without the need for additional resources or special arrangements,” said Professor Gorman-Murray.
Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research & Innovation), Professor Ian Anderson congratulated Professor Gorman-Murray, and the team, on this well-deserved national recognition.
“As the frequency and impact of global disasters rise, understanding the vulnerabilities, needs, and capacities of marginalised and at-risk groups is becoming more and more vital. The groundbreaking Queering Disasters project has revolutionised an important gap in understanding around queer inclusive DRR and will have a profound impact on the lives of many,” said Professor Anderson.
The Federal Government funded Resilient Australia Awards celebrate and promote initiatives that build whole of community resilience to disasters and emergencies around Australia as well as capture and share examples of resilience in action. The awards recognise collaboration and innovative thinking across a broad range of sectors and initiatives that strengthen disaster resilience with communities, institutions, and the private sector.
ENDS
27 November 2025
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