News

Melbourne welcomes the launch of “Secure Australia” research network

Media Release, Thursday 24 February 2005

The University of Melbourne has welcomed the launch today by Attorney General Phillip Ruddock of a $2 million, University of Melbourne-led ARC Research Network for a Secure Australia.

Led by Associate Professor Priyan Mendis from the University’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the ARC Research Network for a Secure Australia (RNSA) is a knowledge-sharing network of national and international researchers focussed on developing ways to protect critical infrastructure from natural disasters and terrorist attacks.

The RNSA is Australia’s most comprehensive network in the multi-disciplinary areas related to critical infrastructure protection. It includes more than 300 researchers and professionals from 25 Australian research organisations including universities, 15 government organisations, and more than 50 industry groups.

The network has also identified a number of relevant international collaborators in the US, Europe, Africa and Asia.

Dean of the University’s Faculty of Engineering Professor Jannie Van Deventer says, “Our staff under the direction of Associate Professor Mendis should be commended for establishing linkages between a large number of government, defence, industry and research institutions, without whose enthusiastic support RNSA would not have been able to contribute to a safer Australia.”

More information about RNSA can be found at: www.secureaustralia.org

RNSA will be launched by the Attorney General at Parliament House today.

**Launch media contact: Athol Yates on 0402 419 583

Background: Associate Professor Priyan Mendis
Associate Professor Mendis has an international track record for research in protective technology of engineering structures. His area of expertise is in the behaviour of concrete structures under extreme loading such as impact, blast, fire and earthquakes. He led an Australian-Indonesian joint engineering forensic team to investigate the structural damage to buildings in the Bali Bombing.

Currently, he is the chairman of a working group nominated to revise the Australian concrete standard to include high-strength concrete. He is also involved in designing critical elements subjected to blast and impact loadings for some landmark structures in Australia and is working with consultants to design protective barriers (for bomb blasts) for some structures in Australia and Indonesia.