HIGH FLYERS THINK TANK

Safeguarding Australia

4 April 2003

Possible research areas and their application to safeguarding Australia are listed below.

Research area	Prevention	Detection	Response	Recovery
Gather, share, analyse information (with unusual event detectors)	x	x	x	x
Audit critical infrastructure	x	x
Model scenarios, find weaknesses (including areas of interdependence and fragmentation)	x	x	x	x
Quantify risks	x	x	x	x
Quantify costs of prevention	x
Quantify costs of consequences	x
Set priorities, plan strategies	x	x	x	x
Develop early-warning signs and detection techniques		x
Increase lab safety	x
Monitor sales and distribution of chemicals		x
Develop vaccines and disease-resistant plants	x			x
Design more robust infrastructure and encourage its adoption	x			x
Build databases of threats and methods		x
Build databases of experts		x	x
Improve tactics, command and control techniques			x
Create automated decision-making tool			x
Make information more accessible, improve communications	x	x	x
Find better ways to inform public and emergency services	x	x	x	x
Explore perceptions of risks – cultural variations and individual psychology	x	x	x	x
Find motives for terrorists	x
Explore how to mitigate alienation and hostility	x
Find legal complications			x	x
Study communities affected by disasters, explore options for victim support			x	x
Study impact of security measures on civil liberties	x	x	x	x