Tony Sheldon (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on this matter of public importance regarding bushfire preparedness. Since the Black Summer bushfires, two-thirds of Australians have been impacted by natural disasters, some more than once. We know that, due to climate change, disasters will become increasingly frequent and intense, which is why the Albanese government is taking significant steps to build our resilience and response capabilities.

To name just a few, we've legislated much more ambitious emission reduction targets and ended the coalition climate wars. We've implemented 12 of the 15 federal recommendations from the bushfire royal commission, with the remainder well underway. We've created one unified national emergency management agency, NEMA. We've established the Disaster Ready Fund, which will invest $1 billion in disaster mitigation over the next five years, with matching funding from all other levels of government. We've delivered a new Australian fire danger rating system. We are upgrading our national flood gauge warning system and developing a new cell broadcast national messaging system to improve how we track and get informed about disasters. And we're building the first ever National Emergency Management Stockpile to supplement the stockpiles states and local government areas have on emergency housing, water purification equipment and other key goods. These are just some of the steps and investments this government has made in improving our disaster preparedness.

As Special Envoy for Disaster Recovery, I regularly travel to disaster impacted communities around the country, speaking to individuals who are dealing with the impacts of natural hazards that have turned into humanitarian disasters. During these visits, I've been struck by the innovation of local communities and the many positive examples of projects that are building resilience across Australia.

In May, I had the privilege of meeting the Adelaide Hills Community Resilience Team and learning about their work. The Community Resilience Team is responsible for delivering the Towards Community Led Emergency Resilience initiative, a project which is increasing community capacity, leadership and sustainability for bushfire events. That project supports communities to prepare for bushfires and other emergencies, taking learnings from bushfire events that have affected the Adelaide Hills district, in particular Sampson Flat, Cudlee Creek and Cherry Gardens. This important initiative was funded by the Australian government through the Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grants Program and Preparing Australian Communities grants. I was pleased to learn that the team received the Resilient Australia Local Government Award at the South Australian Resilient Australia Awards earlier this month. Congratulations to Miranda, Megan, Sophie, Vanessa and Pia for your outstanding work.

Another example is Young Change Agents, a national, non-profit social enterprise founded in 2016. It runs programs following disasters that empower youth when they need it most, giving them back some control over how the situation is affecting them and helping them to make a difference in the community. Children and young people are often overlooked when we talk about community preparedness, despite being one of the most vulnerable and psychologically impacted demographics during disasters.

The Select Committee on Australia's Disaster Resilience travelled to the Northern Rivers in June. We had the privilege of meeting Jali Tan Costello, a member of Young Change Agents, from Lismore. Jali became involved in the Young Change Agents program following the major flooding in 2022 that devastated large areas of the community. Jali shared her story with us, some of which I'll now read:

Last year my community and school experienced a catastrophic disaster that saw devastation throughout the district. After three days of being trapped on our property due to a landslide, I was able to help my family clear out my grandparents' home. This was physically productive; however, I was left feeling frustrated and disconnected from helping my broader community. However, programs of Young Change Agents offered me important opportunities to reconnect, activate my resilience and find purpose in my learning. As a class, our opinion was valued. We instigated change and our impact was far-reaching.

Jali's story demonstrates the critical importance of engaging our children and young people in disaster risk reduction and recovery.

While I could talk for hours about many different programs, I look forward to tracking the ongoing progress of these projects and to finding out more about future initiatives.