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

Thank you, Senator Smith. This government is always going to be standing shoulder to shoulder with communities when disasters hit by providing the necessary support to help them respond and recover. But by better preparing for natural disasters, we can protect lives and livelihoods, and lower damage bills from floods, fires and cyclones.

Last night in this place the legislation to create the Disaster Ready Fund was passed. That was an election commitment of the Albanese government, and now we've delivered. This fund was also confirmed in last month's budget, with up to $1 billion to be made available over the next five years for important disaster mitigation projects. We also know that the most effective way to assist Australians struggling with insurance costs is to better safeguard properties from the impacts of natural disasters. This fund will provide up to $200 million per year to invest in mitigation projects like flood levees, cyclone shelters, firebreaks and evacuation centres around Australia—funds that were previously locked away by the coalition in their failed Emergency Response Fund. In the meantime, we're also helping Australians recover from the current floods, having spent— (Time expired)