However, the level of public debate during a drought event suggests that this policy approach has not been widely understood or accepted. Media reporting of drought rapidly adopts disaster-related language and the organisation of relief appeals reinforces the impression that drought is an aberration rather than a normal part of Australia’s climate patterns.

Beyond Drought provides a multi-disciplinary discussion aimed at increasing the level of understanding of drought’s many facets and its impact on the environment, communities and the economy. It introduces a range of perspectives in order to emphasise the complexity of drought policy. The book cuts through the often emotional debate that occurs during a drought event, aiming to stimulate reasoned discussion about the best way that Australian farmers and the broader community can live with the vagaries of an uncertain climate.

• Provides the reader with an accessible overview of the Australian climate.
• Invites the reader to consider the different facets of drought and the appropriate public policy response.
• Takes account of the developments in climate science and the changes in policy approach over the last three decades.

Contributors

Abbreviations

Introduction
Linda Courtenay Botterill, Postdoctoral Fellow in the National Europe Centre at the Australian National University and Melanie Fisher, Executive Manager in the Bureau of Rural Sciences in Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry—Australia

Living in the Australian environment
Mark Stafford Smith, Centre for Arid Zone Research CSIRO

Climate and drought in Australia
Janette A Lindesay, Education Manager in the Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Accounting, Australian National University

Government responses to drought in Australia
Linda Courtenay Botterill, Postdoctoral Fellow in the National Europe Centre at the Australian National University

Media representations and public perceptions of drought
Åsa Wahlquist, rural writer for The Australian newspaper

Australian drought as lived experience: Social and community impacts
Daniela Stehlik, Associate Dean Research in the Faculty of Arts, Health and Sciences and Associate Professor in Sociology in the School of Psychology and Sociology at Central Queensland University

Economic aspects of drought and drought policy
Bruce O'Meagher, senior Commonwealth Public Servant

Linking environments, decision-making and policy in handling climatic variability
Mark Stafford Smith, Centre for Arid Zone Research CSIRO

Perceptions of drought risk: The farmer, the scientist and the policy economist
Peter Hayman leader of the NSW Agriculture Agroclimatology Unit and Peter Cox, Regional Technical Adviser for Agriculture and Natural Research Management for SE Asia with Catholic Relief Services, a US-based NGO

Drought policy and preparedness: the Australian experience in an international context
Donald A. Wilhite is Director of the National Drought Mitigation Center and the International Drought Information Center and Professor, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Beyond drought in Australia: The way forward
Linda Courtenay Botterill, Postdoctoral Fellow in the National Europe Centre at the Australian National University

Bibliography

Index