Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Emergency Management) Share this | Hansard source

The Albanese government has invested in a range of new capabilities that will provide more support to states and territories to respond to natural disasters. These include our aerial capabilities. We have, of course, a large air tanker, and this year it can be reconfigured both for firefighting and to deal with other emergencies. But we also have three heavy-lift helicopters, and it's the first time that the Commonwealth has invested in these multi-use aerial capabilities.

We're also investing in the National Emergency Management Stockpile, and we have more resources in that stockpile, which include large generators, water filtration and purification equipment, water pumps and flood barriers. We're investing in risk reduction through our Disaster Ready Fund to help communities better prepare for future disasters, and nearly $750 million in Commonwealth and state funding has been already provided through this fund, with projects from Queensland to Western Australia and from the Territory to Tasmania. These are really critical steps that we all can support to assist our communities to deal with these challenges. (Time expired)