The Australian Business Roundtable for Disaster Resilience & Safer Communities has commissioned a report on natural hazard data and the need for a national research plan.

“It is widely recognised that while there is a range of research being conducted on natural disasters in Australia, it is largely unco-ordinated,” group member and IAG CEO Mike Wilkins said.

The roundtable says a more co-ordinated approach would allow government, industry and the community to more easily identify information that could save lives and property and ensure funds are directed to beneficial research areas.

The report by Deloitte Access Economics – to be completed mid-year – will examine cost efficiencies from the centralisation of research and funding, and the benefits of a national research agenda.

It will also consider international best practice and steps to make research more accessible. Research on the long-term psychological and social costs of natural disasters will be analysed.

Last year the roundtable forecast that the cost of natural disasters in Australia would rise from $6.3 billion a year to about $23 billion in 2050.

Pre-disaster investment could cut these costs by more than 50%, it says.