Andrew Wilkie (Clark, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Recently I hosted a briefing by the Royal Automobile Club of Tasmania on the issue of bushfire resilience, something which unites many Tasmanians, who see bushfire risk rising alongside their insurance premiums. As a nation, we often speak broadly about bushfire risk, but Tasmania is uniquely impacted. The Tasmanian Fire Service estimates 98 per cent of Tasmania's land area is bushfire prone. This would come as no surprise to Tasmanians, with an astonishing one in six living within 50 metres of the bush—a fact that becomes apparent as we head into summer and Tasmanians begin reviewing their bushfire plans.

Alarmingly, bushfire risk is projected to increase by between 19 and 30 per cent by the 2040s. If we continue to plan poorly, this will come with additional difficulty in finding insurance and protecting Australians. Clearly, it would be negligent for the federal government and for the state governments to wait for another catastrophic event and then to absolve themselves of responsibility by simply claiming it was 'unprecedented'. No, federal and state governments must instead pull every lever available to ensure the experts we have can work hand-in-hand across every level of government to plan appropriately, mitigate risks and protect Australians, and that work must start now—not after the next disaster and not after all of the funerals.