According to new research from QUT, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities in Australia are being left vulnerable during natural disasters due to ineffective communication strategies while their cultural insights, lived experiences and community knowledge have yet to been incorporated into existing resilience efforts.
Led by researchers from the QUT Digital Media Research Centre and funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments under the Queensland Resilience and Risk Reduction Fund (QRRRF) scheme, the project worked with CALD communities in Cairns to identify communication challenges, co-design new resources and improve policy engagement with Australia’s increasingly multicultural population.
Associate Professor Jenny Hou, from the QUT School of Communication and team leader on the project, said that while Australia is one of the world’s most culturally diverse nations, many communities remain at heightened risk during natural disasters.
“Our research found that disaster communication strategies often overlook the ways CALD communities interpret, share and act on information,” she said.
“We set out to better understand those gaps and develop inclusive tools that can support both communities and agencies.”
The two-year study focused on communities in Cairns, working with seven cultural groups including Bhutanese, Chinese, Colombian, Congolese, Filipino, Indonesian and Japanese residents.
It found that official disaster messaging often failed to reach those most at risk, including newly arrived migrants, people with disabilities and low-income households without access to cars or digital devices.
In contrast, many relied on social media platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook, or received information through community leaders, churches, schools and informal networks.
These grassroots efforts played a vital role during Cyclone Jasper in late 2023, helping coordinate transport, housing and support for isolated residents.
In response to the findings, the QUT team has launched a national Storytelling Toolkit to help councils, emergency services and NGOs co-design disaster communication materials with CALD communities and also empower them to build collective narrative power for driving bottom-up, meaningful changes.
The resource includes planning tools, co-design templates and a digital gallery of lived experience stories contributed by participants.
“What we want to see Australia-wide is greater disaster literacy and sustainable resilience in the face of extreme weather events among CALD communities,” Professor Hou said.
The QUT research team also included Professor Greg Hearn, Professor Kim Johnston, Dr Kim Osman, Dr Risini Ilangasingha (alumnus) and Sioux Campbell (industry investigator).
The research was supported by the Australian and Queensland Governments under the QRRRF program and involved more than 150 community members and 18 emergency management practitioners.
Learn more and access the toolkit and report here.
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