Editorial

The Far North Queensland city of Cairns has a significant history of exposure to the impact of a wide range of natural hazards, most notably tropical cyclones. A program of publicly funded research, using Cairns as its ‘living laboratory’ and aimed at understanding the risks posed by these hazards was a central part of Australia's involvement in the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction. This program involved input from all three levels of government in Australia – national, state and local – as well as academe, industry and the Cairns community.

This paper outlines the background to this program of research and an overview of the Cairns community that provides context for the other papers in this issue. While much of the scientific effort has been focused on developing a better understanding of the hazard phenomena involved, an important outcome of the Cairns research has been the evolution of techniques by which to develop a better understanding of the community at risk and strategies by which to reduce their risk.