Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management. Will the minister outline to the House how the Morrison-McCormack government is responding to the challenges posed by climate change for regional Australia and building resilience to natural disasters?

David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for her question. Australia, over the last two years, has faced fire, flood and drought. Deloitte Access Economics estimates that natural disasters currently cost the economy around $18.2 billion to our economy, and by 2050 it will be around $39 billion. Building that resilience within our community is important.

It's quite poignant today as the Mayor of Longreach Regional Council is in the gallery. He's at the forefront of the drought and he has led the way in building resilience in his local community in Western Queensland. I acknowledge him and the local government leaders that have done that. That is why the government has rolled out a range of programs across all of those natural disasters. Over $10 billion has been committed to the drought, ensuring that we equip our farmer with the tools to be prepared and more resilient for these droughts. There's $86 million going into innovation hubs—eight of them around the country—to get cutting-edge science and to give our farmers the tools to equip them for a changing climate and to be able to adapt and continue to add to our agricultural productivity. For a localised climate guide, the Bureau of Meteorology is getting $2.7 million. That will give farmers real-time data to make real-time decisions, which is important for them in terms of being resilient through droughts.

We haven't forgotten cyclones and floods: $10 million is for the Queensland Household Resilience Program. That's helping households to renovate their homes to be prepared for cyclones in the future. In fact, it's reducing insurance premiums by potentially up to $320 a year. There is mitigation work for monsoons, to make sure that they're prepared for flooding and to protect them, their homes and their livelihoods.

Obviously, the royal commission into national disasters, focused primarily on the bushfires, has been handed down. The Prime Minister is taking our response to the national cabinet, because this has to be a coordinated approach. This isn't just the federal government; we have to work hand-in-hand with the states to make sure that this response is targeted and has the results that we ask for. We haven't necessarily been sitting idle on this. The federal government has put $88 million into research to get cutting-edge science into understanding the risk of bushfires into the future and also to equip our firefighters with the practical techniques to be able to protect them and ourselves. Also with respect to working with the states: we're trying to engage around hazard reduction and are engaging with our First Australians and the thousands of years of knowledge that they have. That's to bring it together with that cutting-edge science to protect all Australians. That's the smarts of the 21st century: bringing back the culture that should be acknowledged and understood.

But we're also not forgetting the most important asset in all this: our people. Through all those disasters, the federal government has committed $132 million to mental health programs. Of that, $84 million has gone out the door, building the resilience in our most precious asset, our people, and making sure that they're prepared for the future.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.