Reframing responsibility-sharing for bushfire risk management in Australia after Black Saturday

Abstract

In the context of risk, the concept of responsibility incorporates the notion that certain parties have a prospective obligation to undertake actions to manage risk. However, differences in judgements about which parties are responsible for which aspects of risk management often lead to social conflict. This paper uses the heuristic of a 'responsibility continuum for risk management' to highlight how judgements of the obligations of different parties to manage risk are underpinned by particular ways of framing responsibility-sharing.