Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

As I've said before, good governments plan for the best and prepare for the worst. That's what we've tone in establishing a new agency, in appointing one of Australia's foremost disaster professionals to head it and in taking additional action as well. It's why teams from NEMA have been out meeting with all states and territories to discuss their preparedness plans well ahead of this high-risk weather season. The briefings included a scenario based discussion based on the BoM outlook to better understand the risks and enhance collective preparedness for the upcoming season.

But how we respond to natural disasters must not just be about the immediate response. Last sitting this government introduced amendments to the disaster ready fund legislation. These amendments will ensure that the full $200 million allocated in the fund per year is spent on disaster mitigation while maintaining our commitment to support communities as they recover from disasters. We've also been rolling out important funding in New South Wales under the Emergency Response Fund for disaster mitigation projects. It's what Australians deserve, and it's a far cry from the 'I don't hold a hose'— (Time expired)