Seismic Risk Assessment of Critical infrastructure through Public-Private Partnerships in Australia

Communities and the wider economy rely upon a broad range of interdependent infrastructure systems. These systems may incorporate components having physical vulnerabilities to earthquake ground motion and may also have systemic vulnerabilities if components are damaged. The development of an understanding of these vulnerabilities and the opportunities to mitigate them typically entails a cross-sector approach and the incorporation of applied science inputs from the private sector and government. This paper describes the recent establishment of trusted public-private partnerships between government science and industry in Australia to develop actionable information. In particular, the arrangements for managing and sharing data and derived information is described in an environment now driven by cyber security concerns.

Australia sits within an intraplate environment with a seismic hazard ranging from low to the threshold of moderate on a global scale. Notwithstanding this, much of Australia’s critical infrastructure has been developed without an adequate consideration of this hazard that has led to issues where inherently vulnerable assets are operated in localities having higher hazard. These vulnerabilities are of concern to asset managers who recognise the benefit of collaboration with other industry sectors and science agencies to address them but need trusted arrangements to bring together the expertise. An example of a public-private partnership arrangement that has enabled this is the “Earthquake Impact and Risk Assessment for Perth and Supporting Infrastructure” project (EIRAPSI) co-funded by the Global Earthquake Model Foundation and Geoscience Australia. The outcomes of this project in the electricity transmission, potable water and road transport sectors in Western Australia are described along with the trusted sharing arrangements that made them possible.

Subsequently EIRAPSI has led to a broader sequel partnership, “Risk Assessment and Mitigation Study of Earthquakes in the Yilgarn” (RAMSEY) which is nearing completion. The project has navigated through new Australia Government legislation related to the security of critical infrastructure systems and intended to protect knowledge that could have potential use by malevolent actors. The challenge of balancing public good versus security sensitivities and the implications for future public-private partnerships in an ever-evolving environment of geopolitical and technological threats are discussed.

Presented at the 2024 18th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering, Milan, Italy