Zali Steggall (Warringah, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I rise in support of the Treasury Laws Amendment (2019-20 Bushfire Tax Assistance) Bill 2020. For six months Australia has been devastated by the worst bushfires in our nation's history. Communities have been wiped out, businesses irreparably impacted, cities blanketed by smog forcing many indoors, our courageous volunteer services stretched to the limit and our beautiful wildlife and landscape decimated. I'll never forget the images of Australian families being evacuated by the Royal Australian Navy or the first images of singed wildlife searching for water, all on the backdrop of a blood red sky with ashes eerily dropping like snow.

While we will rebuild and communities will recover, the psychological trauma will be with many for years to come. This period will live in the memory of our nation forever. We had repeated warnings from our former fire chiefs that it was all going to be bad, yet we were caught flat-footed. This disaster will give us many lessons, as we will continue to soul search in the weeks and months to come. Various royal commissions will look into the decision-making process, response and past practices that contributed, and all the factors that contributed, to the severity of the disaster. I encourage that. I intend to help by listening and finding solutions to prevent future disasters. The Standing Committee on the Environment and Energy, which I am part of, is tasked with an inquiry into the efficiency of past and current vegetation and land management policy, practice and legislation and their effect on the intensity and frequency of bushfires and the subsequent risk to property, life and environment. We must, of course, also broaden that to look at the impact on the environment and how we preserve the environment and address climate change.

But, for now, we need to focus on those who have been so devastated and provide immediate support. The government's response, if belated, has been adequate. I support the government's existing measures, such as the deployment of the ADF, the mental health counselling and further direct impact on the ground. But we can and must do more. I support this bill, as it will provide further relief to the individuals businesses that have been so impacted by the fires. In particular, we mustn't forget the communities on our North Coast of New South Wales and southern Queensland, who were already impacted in late August and early September, as we focus on the more recently devastated communities further south.

Schedule 1 of this bill will allow tax relief for all disaster relief payments to individuals and businesses impacted by the bushfires. Schedule 2 will provide some tax exemptions for compensation payments made to volunteer firefighters and schedule 3 will provide deductible gift recipient status to two trusts to support families and businesses affected. These are all correct and adequate responses, but consideration needs to be given to the scope of these responses being broadened to make sure that all those who have been seriously and severely impacted are assisted.

In all of this, we cannot overlook the major contributing cause: climate change. Now is, absolutely, the time to talk about it. The Commonwealth Scientific Research Organisation, the Bureau of Meteorology and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change all state that there is a tangible link between increases in background temperatures and the severity and duration of bushfires. We continue to set temperature records: 2019 was the hottest year on record for Australia. It's likely, according to the new study by the Australian National University, that temperatures will likely exceed 50 degrees by 2040 and temperatures in the 40s will happen three times more often. This is all impacting fire severity and danger. In 2019, new records were set for high daily Forest Fire Danger Index reports in all states and territories of Australia. Australia's fire weather, therefore, will worsen in the future. The number of very high and extreme fire danger days is projected to increase by a further 15 per cent at the minimum—and, at the upper range, by up to 70 per cent—by 2050. It's hard to imagine that kind of environment or how we could possibly prepare and be fully equipped to deal with such a scenario. This will make fire management increasingly more challenging and near impossible. The only way to manage and prevent further worsening is to increase our emissions reduction ambitions, as we are committed to under the Paris Agreement, and limit warming to no more than 1.5 degrees.

On 23 March, I'll introduce a climate change bill—a national framework for adaptation and action—to this parliament, and call for a bipartisan approach so that we can, united, make 2020 the year where we have ceased being divided on climate and where we can work towards a safer future for Australia. It's a positive response to the current disasters and a reposition for Australia as a climate leader.

The bill has four key components: a net zero target by 2050, risk assessment, risk management and adaptation plans. We need to listen to the experts. We need to have a clear, empowered and independent climate change commission so that we have the expertise and the advice to properly manage our response and action. We know these elements work because they have been enacted in the United Kingdom, France, Germany and many other countries. Specifically, in respect of bushfire response, the national risk assessment will assess how increasing bushfires will affect our economy, our environment, our society and our communities as a whole. Following that, we will have mandated adaptation plans that assist in adapting and increasing our response to bushfire risk.

Part of the problem in this disaster was that there were no adequate plans, key agencies tasked with investigating and responding to bushfire risk were defunded and our services did not have the resources they needed to protect our communities. There were many calls during last year for meetings with the government by the ex-fire chiefs. I met with them in both September and November. Their warning and call was clear, but it went unheeded. By having plans set in advance and implemented accordingly, we can ensure that we are adequately prepared when disaster strikes again; sadly, it's not an 'if'.

The bill mandates five-yearly emissions budgets and emissions reduction plans that are designed to meet a net zero goal in an economically and fiscally responsible way that ensures proper growth for Australia. This is consistent with limiting warming to no more than 1.5 degrees. It is an opportunity for Australia to reset its position in the world, be ambitious and be a leader.

There will be no new normal to adapt to. We must operate in a continued state of readiness. Our defence forces know that. It's no longer acceptable to the Australian community to be unprepared. My heart and my mind are with the many communities that have been affected. For them, in this place, we must be willing to give our strongest effort to prevent these disasters in the future and keep future generations safe.

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