Figure - available from: Economics of Disasters and Climate Change
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Losses in full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs across Australia resulting from the tourism losses because of the 2019-20 fires. The most populous State, New South Wales (NSW), suffered about twice as many losses in employment as its neighbouring eastern States, equivalent to 3171 full-time jobs. The Northern Territory (NT), although not suffering catastrophic fires, nonetheless lost 75 jobs from the short-term shock. Nationwide, more than 7292 jobs were lost. Other regions: Victoria (VIC), Queensland (QLD), South Australia (SA), Western Australia (WA), Tasmania (TAS), Australian Capital Territory (ACT)
Source publication
Tourism, including education-related travel, is one of Australia’s top exports and generates substantial economic stimulus from Australians travelling in their own country, attracting visitors to diverse areas including World Heritage rainforests, picturesque beachside villages, winery townships and endemic wildlife. The globally unprecedented 2019...
Citations
... Bushfires cause loss and damage to businesses, infrastructure, and residences, as well as incurring costs associated with healthcare (physical and psychological) and social disruption [2]. There are national-scale impacts on tourism supply chains and employment loss [4]. These factors underscore the need for community-level initiatives to reduce the economic and social impacts of bushfires. ...
Natural disasters such as bushfires are a test of individual and group resilience, and in extreme cases, threaten the sustainability of communities. Bushfires have long been common in Australia, although anthropogenic climate change has exacerbated their prevalence and severity. The aim of the present study was to assess the individual resilience and disaster-specific adaptation and resilience of community members in the wake of a bushfire event. Using a quantitative, cross-sectional design, an adult community sample of 165 residents of Noosa Shire in regional Queensland, Australia completed the 25-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC©) and the 43-item Disaster Adaptation and Resilience Scale (DARS). Mean scores for the CD-RISC© indicated significantly greater resilience (p < 0.001) than reported previously for a large Australian community cohort. Similarly, the DARS scores indicated significantly greater adaptation and resilience (p < 0.001) than that of a comparable cohort in the USA. The two oldest groups of residents (66+ years and 51–65 years) reported significantly greater adaptation and resilience than the group of younger residents (≤50 years; p < 0.001). The study findings provide the Noosa Shire community with an objective baseline from which they can assess the efficacy of future resilience-building initiatives and, more broadly, offer a valuable point of reference for future disaster-related research.
