June 29, 2026
In government, climate decisions rarely wait for perfect conditions. They arrive amid competing priorities, limited resources and teams that are expected to move fast, often without in‑house climate science expertise. That’s the reality Nikki Krushka works in as Assistant Director in the Tasmanian Government’s Climate Change Office, where she leads adaptation and climate risk programs across the state.
Nikki definitely doesn’t describe herself as a climate scientist, her experience is in policy leadership, supported by her team, people skilled in designing programs, navigating legislation and making decisions that affect real communities. And that’s precisely why she needs to effectively filter the climate information that’s out there, to secure the best available information for government decision making.
“I came into the role with strong policy skills, but without a technical climate background,” she says. “The information services provided through the Climate Systems Hub have been invaluable in building that understanding over time.”
What is striking in Nikki’s experience is that the value of the Hub isn’t tied to a single report or project. Instead, it sits in an ongoing relationship, one that quietly underpins approaches across planning, capability building, risk assessment and engagement across the Tasmanian Government.
At the centre of that relationship are the Hub’s knowledge brokers.
As well as acting as a conduit for raw research, the knowledge brokers operate in the space where science, policy and practicality intersect. They work alongside decision‑makers to identify knowledge gaps, validate assumptions and source the most relevant evidence, often before a program design is locked in.
“It’s not just about sharing outputs,” Nikki explains. “We lean into that relationship to say: this is what we’re thinking, does it stack up, and is there research that helps us answer the real questions we’re facing?”
That two‑way exchange matters. It means science isn’t simply delivered at the end of the process, but actively shapes how problems are framed in the first place. In practice, that has influenced everything from Tasmania’s statewide climate change risk assessment to the way climate capability programs are designed for government agencies and local councils. In conjunction with the Hub and Local Government Association of Tasmania, the Hub’s climate information for policymakers course was delivered in late 2024.
It also creates a layering effect. Nikki and her team further translate climate information, adapting it for infrastructure planners, health programs, councils and community stakeholders, extending the reach of the original research far beyond its first audience.
“There are tiers of understanding,” she says. “The expectation that policy decision‑makers should become climate scientists is unrealistic. That translation role is essential, and it’s where the Hub plays a really integral part.”
Another theme that comes through strongly is trust. In a landscape crowded with advice, data, models and tools, Nikki values the Hub as a neutral, evidence‑based source, one without a product to sell or a contract to extend.
“The knowledge brokers are a trusted, unbiased sounding board for me,” she says. “There’s no vested interest in the advice, we are all working towards the same outcomes.”
That neutrality becomes especially important when navigating complex choices, such as selecting climate projections or understanding which information is fit for a specific decision. The knowledge broker’s ability to interpret across multiple sources and explain the strengths and limits of each helps decision‑makers avoid siloed or skewed advice, like sharing the Hub’s Finding and Understanding Climate Projections guide.
Within this relationship is a two-way capability building, with Hub scientists benefiting from Nikki in learning how government decisions work in practice, culminating in Nikki generously contributing her perspectives to the science community at the 2026 AMOS conference. Her team has also shared their knowledge about the data and information decision makers want in hub workshops, such as through our marine heatwaves research project.
Looking ahead, Nikki sees the need for this kind of brokerage only growing, particularly as climate risk, adaptation and climate‑related financial disclosures move further into mainstream reporting and decision‑making.
“Without this support, there would be a real gap in the chain between research and action,” she says.
Sometimes the most impactful work doesn’t shout. It shows up consistently, builds capability quietly, and makes better decisions easier. That’s where translation becomes transformation and where the knowledge brokers do what they do best.