Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on this Emergency Response Fund Amendment (Disaster Ready Fund) Bill 2022. It will benefit thousands of Australians across the country. It will create what Australia should have had years ago: a proper disaster-ready fund. It recognises the reality that many Australians will be devastated and displaced by natural disasters, such as fire, floods and extreme weather—just as too many Australians on the east coast are right now. These conditions, we know, will only get worse as the climate continues to change.

This government believes climate change is real. The previous government had nine years to prepare Australia for future extreme weather. Even when they did try something, it wasn't properly thought through. They established the $4 billion Emergency Response Fund in 2019. At the time, its stated purpose was to provide $150 million in recovery funding each year and $50 million in mitigation funding each year. In the three years the fund existed it did not complete a single mitigation project or release a cent in funding recovery. Instead, it earned the previous government more than $800 million in interest, taking the total towards $5 billion—with nothing to show for it. Too often, they were there for the photo opportunity but never there when the hard work had to be done. In a country prone to natural disasters, this attitude is truly unbelievable.

In contrast, the Albanese government is getting on with the job of building a better Australia, building a country that's ready to face the future. This bill will ensure that Australia is better prepared for future disasters. It will provide up to $200 million per year to invest in mitigation projects, like flood levees, cyclone shelters, firebreaks and evacuation centres around Australia as well as building natural disaster resilience.

By preparing for natural disasters, we can protect lives and livelihoods and lower damage bills from floods, fires and cyclones. We can reduce the physical, economic and psychological impact of disasters for the Australian community. With a specific focus on disaster resilience, the Disaster Ready Fund will help prepare Australians as best it can for future catastrophic weather. It's a policy that we need for thousands of Australians across the country, and it's a policy that's very close to my heart.

Earlier this year I had the privilege to visit communities in Mallacoota and East Gippsland, including community leaders from the Mallacoota & District Recovery Association, the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation and volunteers from the local Country Fire Authority. The area was severely effected by the black summer bushfires and then by flooding. We all remember the harrowing scenes of devastation and loss in the aftermath of catastrophic bushfires and then floods. The scale of the devastation was almost unimaginable. From local people I heard what was important and what they need, and they told me that they need to be part of the solution. Rebuilding, recovery and resilience in the face of growing threats from natural disasters are best achieved when local people are put in charge of local solutions, including First Nations people, whose profound and deep understanding of the land and its challenges is invaluable to successful planning and management of disasters.

The Mallacoota community has rallied magnificently in the face of some really challenging times. Sadly, though, the circumstances that produce the Mallacoota fire and recent Gippsland floods are getting more common, as we're seeing today, with absolutely tragic consequences. In my state of Victoria, last month was the busiest month on record for Victoria's State Emergency Service, with volunteers responding to a staggering 13,700 calls for assistance after the recent floods, a situation reflected in communities across the country, even as we speak. This is our new reality.

The Albanese government is delivering on its commitment to ensure Australia is better prepared for natural disasters in the future. The Disaster Ready Fund builds on other measures by this government to strengthen Australia's disaster management response, including increasing the capacity and capability of our amazing volunteers, supporting up to 5,200 additional volunteers to join the existing disaster volunteer workforce by covering the costs associated with recruitment, deployment, equipment and training.

We know we have a big job ahead of us and we are tackling the root cause of all of this, which is climate change. We know governments, not only here but around the world, have to be part of the solution. That's why this government is taking strong action and showing new and real leadership on the global stage when it comes to climate. This government is working hard to catch up on the nine wasted years of the previous government. We understand the urgency of the problem, and the time for action is now. That's why we're working with all parts of the community—unions, businesses and community groups—to move to a renewable future, while also helping people through the disasters that we're facing today. The things that matter—climate, community and the future—are worth fighting for.