Preparing for what’s ahead: How Suncorp is building year-round community resilience

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Throughout FY25, Suncorp's Disaster Management Team partnered with State Emergency Service (SES) units, councils and community organisations to deliver resilience education.

This included agricultural shows, sporting events and festivals across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, meeting people where they live and learn.

Suncorp Executive Manager Disaster Management Lilly Broodbank has highlighted the importance of building year-round resilience.

Executive Manager Disaster Management, Lilly Broodbank

Resilience isn't built in boardrooms, it's built in conversations at school gates, showgrounds and community halls.

"By showing up where people live, learn and play, we're helping families turn awareness into action.

"Whether it's tying down loose items or packing an emergency kit, every small step strengthens our collective preparedness."

A targeted and meaningful approach

When deciding where to travel to for community engagement events, Suncorp prioritises areas that have been recently or repeatedly impacted by severe weather.

This approach ensures our efforts are targeted, meaningful and responsive.

In FY25, this included Rochester and Seymour, as both communities are still recovering from the 2022 floods, and Lismore and Newcastle, also recently impacted by storms and flooding.

This year, we launched our new Home Marquee, an interactive, walk-through resource designed to help families spot common household maintenance issues that can become risks in severe weather.

Together with our Stay Safe Activity Book, we are giving both children and families practical tools to better understand preparedness.

Locations we visited in FY25

• Luminous Festival, Brisbane (QLD)

• AgQuip Field Days, Gunnedah (NSW)

• Henty Field Days, Henty (NSW)

• Get Ready Queensland Week (Brisbane, Cairns, Mareeba & Logan)

• Brisbane, Clontarf & Woodford Emergency Services Expos (QLD)

• Lismore Show (NSW)

• Newcastle Show (NSW)

• Rochester Show (VIC)

• Seymour Alternative Farming Expo (VIC)

Making an impact and the power of partnership

Insights from our valued community partner Get Ready Queensland (GRQ)* show why resilience education is so important.

While 70 per cent of Queenslanders say they feel prepared, much of this planning is informal.

Despite 62 per cent reporting that they have a plan, only 40 per cent have written it down.

That is why Suncorp's community engagement program is designed to move preparedness from intention to action.

In FY25, more than 370,000 people attended the shows, expos and community events where we were present.

At those events, our teams had thousands of meaningful preparedness conversations and distributed more than 7,000 Stay Safe Activity Books, ensuring children and families left with practical tools to take home.

Through our interactive Home Marquee and Stay Safe Activity Book, children are learning how small actions, like packing a storm kit or helping secure loose items, can make a big difference for their families before severe weather arrives.

By engaging the next generation, we are empowering young 'Hazard Heroes' and helping to build stronger, more resilient communities across Australia.

Together with GRQ, strong progress was made in FY25 to raise awareness and encourage action.

The GRQ 2024 campaign* saw 82 per cent of people say it made them think about risks in their household.

When Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred hit in early 2025, Queenslanders turned to trusted sources in huge numbers, with 1.2 million views on the dedicated GRQ FAQ page.

Every FY25 activation in Suncorp's calendar showed the power of partnership.

By working with SES units, Netball Queensland, the North Queensland Cowboys, the Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA), GRQ, Multicultural Australia and many others, preparedness education reached people in ways that were meaningful, trusted and locally relevant.

Resilience grows strongest when communities, volunteers and organisations come together long before the storm clouds form.

*Queensland Reconstruction Authority - Get Ready Queensland campaign and 2024 Statewide Preparedness Report