The Australian Government welcomes the Report of the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements, which was tabled in the Australian Parliament this morning.
Minister for Emergency Management, David Littleproud, today thanked those who contributed to and participated in the Royal Commission as well as the Chair and Commissioners who carefully and diligently examined thousands of submissions and heard from hundreds of witnesses.
"We also pay tribute to those communities impacted by the devastating Black Summer Bushfires, and in particular to the 33 people who tragically lost their lives.
"The Royal Commission report outlines lessons for us all on how to better prepare for, manage and recover from natural disasters. There are lessons for governments, essential service providers, insurers, charities, communities and individuals.
"The Commission examined and made recommendations across a broad range of themes including prevention, preparedness, response and recovery.
"Importantly, the Royal Commission wasn't focussed solely on Commonwealth areas of responsibilities but examined how all Australian jurisdictions managed natural disaster arrangements, and critically, how we could work together even better in future to protect people, property and the environment.
The report contains 80 recommendations:
- 14 directly targeted to the Australian Government
- 23 specific to States and Territories
- 41 that are shared between the Commonwealth and States and Territories
- 2 recommendations specifically focussed on the Insurance Industry and the Australian Building Code Board.
"The Commonwealth will now carefully and methodically consider the report and its recommendations, as will the States and Territories, but we are committed to responding to and actioning many of the recommendations as soon as possible," Minister Littleproud said today.
