Perin Davey (NSW, National Party, Shadow Minister for Water) Share this | Hansard source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this urgency motion today, and I thank Senator Pocock for bringing this issue to the attention of the chamber. It is absolutely true that there are indications from weather professionals, emergency management professionals and even recent events that we face heightened bushfire risk this season and very possibly continuing increased risk for seasons to come. We absolutely need to get smarter in how we deal with these increasing disasters. I want to acknowledge that there are currently around 70 bushfires burning, as we speak, around the state of New South Wales. Sadly, overnight there was the loss of the life of one of our volunteer firefighters.

From my travels with the Senate Select Committee on Australia's Disaster Resilience, I have seen where looking at new technology and best practice internationally leads to better outcome in cities like Townsville, where they've got their bespoke and high-tech emergency management hub. I've seen what they're doing to also engage with the community to have early response preparedness. The proposition put forward today by Senator Pocock is to invest in the best technologies available in the face of the heightened bushfire risk. ANU professor David Lindenmayer spoke at an event this morning on bushfire preparedness, and he has previously written on the changing nature of bushfires and the imperative for Australia to embrace new technologies that will identify early fire areas and use technologies that can respond more quickly than the current traditional methods of ground crews and large aerial tankers.

Today's forum recognised the importance of rapid responses to fires, particularly in light of research that suggests that extreme fire risk is 10 times greater than it was when most baby boomers were born. This has been backed up by other experts such as Greg Mullins, the former New South Wales Commissioner of Fire and Rescue, who has over 50 years of experience as a volunteer firefighter. We know that—as welcome as the large fire bombers are, especially when a fire is out of control and has taken hold—the reality is early detection, better communication, better preparedness and the use of new technologies would seem to be the key to better outcomes for land, property, stock and human lives.

One thing I want to bring to the attention of the Senate is, as Senator Pocock quite rightly said, that the new technologies could cost maybe tens of millions of dollars. Currently, there is a fund—the Disaster Ready Fund—which provides $200 million a year in grants for disaster readiness and risk reduction. But, in the first round of funding from the Albanese government—announced in June this year—I must say that I was somewhat underwhelmed at the lost opportunity to deliver real change.

Instead of looking at new technologies, such as those that Senator David Pocock has identified in this motion, we've funded removing willow trees from a riverbank or building climate-resilient visitor infrastructure in the ACT. I don't see how they will significantly reduce risks. I've spoken to the Insurance Council of Australia, who have over the last couple of years prepared numerous reports on the financial costs of disasters in Australia and on how we can reduce the risk. We need to look at the disaster reduction fund and look at how we spend that money so that we are actually reducing the real risk faced by Australians.

As this urgency motion suggests, such technology being proposed involves, yes, a substantial early investment, but it needs a sound business case that would need to be developed and that would reduce risk. Natural disasters impact every community at every level—local, state and federal. We need to be open to new technologies that make a difference and can detect fires earlier. I thank Senator Pocock.