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

It is a good question, Senator Davey, and I've got a very good answer as well. I thank Senator Sheldon for his ongoing work as the Special Envoy for Disaster Recovery. I know that only recently he was in Far North Queensland, where both he and Senator Green have been doing terrific work to assist Far North Queenslanders recovering from the cyclones and floods that we've seen in the last couple of months.

Since our election in 2022, the Albanese government has worked hard to ensure that Australia is much better prepared for natural disasters. Increased disaster risk is the single biggest contributor to the higher insurance costs that many households are experiencing. Rising insurance premiums, which the former government allowed to spiral out of control, are another cost-of-living pressure on Australians. Without insurance, people face longer recovery times and need to rely on their own savings or funding from governments or charities to support recovery.

Today, I was proud to announce that, in a world first, two of Australia biggest insurers are now providing discounts to customers who complete a bushfire resilience self-assessment through the government funded, free Bushfire Resilience Rating app. Thanks to a $3 million investment from the Albanese government, Australians living in bushfire-prone areas have the science and power in their hands to improve their home's resilience. The discounts announced today by Suncorp and NRMA for high resilience ratings can be up to $500 off your premium for people living in the highest risk areas. This is real cost-of-living relief for Australians doing it tough. The higher the bushfire risks at a location, the higher the discount provided to customers who improve their home's resilience.

To date, 19,000 households have accessed the app since it was launched in October last year. Many of the recommended actions through the app cost very little or nothing at all. So this is a practical step with an investment by the Albanese government that is helping take some of the pressure off Australians with their insurance premiums.