The impacts of natural disasters on Australia’s economy, environment and society are significant and include loss of life, loss of property and infrastructure, disruption to business and disruption to our livelihoods. Our cities and regional centres, and their supporting infrastructure, are expanding as populations grow. This increases our exposure and vulnerability to hazards. The forecast cost of disasters is expected to increase with our growing population and valuable assets, expanding into areas vulnerable to hazards and a changing climate.

To be better prepared, and to make informed decisions to reduce disaster risk, Australia depends on availability of hazard, exposure, vulnerability and impact information.

Geoscience Australia provides disaster risk information to help Australians understand the consequences of hazard events, which contributes to more resilient communities now and in the future.

1. We will deliver authoritative, current and timely national data and advice on our built environment, hazard extents and the exposure of our communities and assets during natural hazard events to support response and recovery.
2. We will advance our understanding of Australia’s natural hazards and the vulnerability of our built environment to mitigate the impact and cost of disasters.
3. We will forecast the possible impact of natural hazards enabling communities to better prepare and build resilience.
4. We will provide real-time monitoring, analysis and advice on significant earthquakes, including those causing tsunamis, to help safeguard Australian and Indian Ocean communities.

Australia is the driest inhabited continent, which makes water use and management a key challenge. In many parts of Australia, groundwater underpins agriculture, the environment, minerals and energy resource development, and the wellbeing of regional communities.

We need to better understand surface and groundwater systems in order to properly manage our water resources. Understanding the connection between groundwater and surface water systems, and reducing the impact of development on groundwater supply and quality are critical to our water security and regional development.

Geoscience Australia supports the fair sharing of Australia’s water resources for a strong economy, resilient society and sustainable environment. We will demonstrate national leadership in the application of geoscience to understand groundwater systems to support responsible water management.

1. We will collaborate to develop and deliver data, knowledge and advice on surface water and groundwater to inform decision making by government, communities and industry.
2. We will develop new technologies and geoscience that identify surface water and new groundwater resources.
3. We will deliver a complete map of groundwater systems in Australia’s geological provinces to understand the nation’s resource potential.
4. We will deliver detailed regional groundwater assessments in half of Australia’s geological provinces to enable responsible water management practice.

Australia’s marine jurisdiction is approximately double the size of Australia’s land mass and 4 per cent of the world’s oceans. With increasing global demand for energy, food and security, activity within our marine jurisdiction is becoming increasingly important to our economy. Effective and efficient management of this precious environment relies on baseline mapping, understanding of marine resources and assets, and the ability to measure change over time.

1. We will lead collaboration across government, industry and academia to map and characterise Australia’s seabed, enabling the sustainable management of our marine environment and growth of Australia’s $100b³ Blue Economy.
2. We will deliver coastal landform data that informs management of the coastal zone, including building resilience to the impacts of a changing climate.
3. We will use geoscientific data to define Australia’s maritime boundaries to underpin the legal and regulatory framework for our marine jurisdiction.

Australia has a vast and rich landscape. Geographic data provides the nation with a changing view of the country’s landscape through time.

Geoscience data and information are a significant national resource with significant enduring value for the Australian community. Knowing when and where events and activities occur is essential for government, communities, industry and researchers to make decisions and improve economic, environmental and social outcomes for Australia.

Geoscience Australia provides national leadership that strengthens location-based decision making through the integration of digital mapping, Earth observations and precise positioning science, data and capabilities.

1. We will deliver positioning accuracy of 10 cm across Australia, and enable 3–5 cm accuracy in areas with mobile phone coverage, adding at least $6.2b⁴ to the Australian economy over the next 30 years.
2. We will deliver a satellite data platform that supports best-practice Government decisions, helps Australian businesses to use Earth observations data and underpins the contribution of over $5b⁵ annually to the Australian economy.
3. We will grow the Australian space industry through our first national space mission, operating Australian satellites that monitor lands and coasts, supporting our economy and strengthening international partnerships.
4. We will undertake geoscientific programs in Antarctica in our national interests.
5. We will support Australia’s digital economy by delivering new digital mapping capabilities that integrate data on Australia’s geography, society and environment.

Geoscientific data and physical collections have enduring value. It is essential that these data and collections are curated correctly, and can be easily understood and accessed by everyone. Data are acquired from platforms including satellites, observatories and laboratory instruments. Data and samples can be integrated to build models of our continent, our Antarctic and island territories and surrounding oceans.

Geoscience Australia delivers world-class, trusted data and platforms and expertise to support high impact geoscience, transparent evidence-based decisions and social licence to operate.

Geoscience Australia also maintains efforts to maximise Australians’ understanding of our geoscientific information and our contribution to their livelihoods. We disseminate geoscientific knowledge in our public outreach programs to ensure that all Australians can better understand the contribution of Earth science and our work to their community.

1. We will build and operate national infrastructure to measure and monitor our environment, making data openly accessible to inform evidence-based decisions.
2. We will be the custodian of authoritative geoscientific data, knowledge, and physical collections for the benefit of all Australians.
3. We will ensure future generations are informed in science, technology, engineering and mathematics by equipping them with Earth science knowledge and resources.
4. We will provide national and international leadership in geoscientific and open data to accelerate findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR) data across all areas of Earth science.

Since 2001, Geoscience Australia has been the nation’s trusted adviser on the geological and geographical history of Australia.

The changes we study and monitor happen very slowly and are etched in sediment layers and core samples. However, the community we serve and operate within evolves at a much faster pace, one Geoscience Australia is responsive to.

We are proud to be an employer of choice within the scientific and public service community.

Our work is underpinned by a fair, equitable, and transparent approach; one that values diversity and talent and is unrestricted by gender, cultural background, or sexuality.

Geoscience Australia recognises the ongoing knowledge held by First Nations Australians—the original Earth scientists of these lands and waters.

We stand on our integrity every day, shaped by the values of the Australian Public Service.

1. We will be an employer of choice because we value our people, their diversity and our commitment to being inclusive, respectful and innovative.
2. We will lead a sustainable organisation that is efficient, adaptive and resilient.
3. We will respectfully collaborate and engage with stakeholders, including First Nations Australians, to enhance our value to communities, government and industry.
4. We will adopt innovative technologies and ways of working to enhance organisational capability.
5. We will strengthen our reputation through leadership, delivery on our commitments and communicating our value.