Senate debates

Thursday, 8 September 2022

Questions without Notice

Australia: Natural Disasters

3:01 pm

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

Thank you, Senator Sterle, who I know has been very interested in this topic in WA—cyclone Seroja and other events, as well. In recent years we've seen the increasing impacts of climate change on our communities and our environment, from the most savage bushfires our country has ever seen to some of the most devastating floods on record. As our climate changes and natural disasters become more common, the way in which we manage our emergency response needs to change as well. Unlike those opposite, we are committed to acting on climate change, both through reducing our emissions and by supporting those communities most impacted by the effects of climate change. The bill we have just passed today is an important part of reducing those emissions, and better preparing for future disasters also protects communities as well.

As a country and a government, we need to be better prepared and we need to respond more quickly to natural disasters. Unfortunately, when those opposite were in power they did neither, and that left Australians exposed. If we are asking Australians to be better prepared for natural disasters, then our government needs to do the same thing. That's why, last week, I formally launched the National Emergency Management Agency, or NEMA, bringing together the capabilities of Emergency Management Australia and the National Recovery and Resilience Agency into a single agency. NEMA will bring together the capabilities of both agencies to provide support, prepare for future disasters, lead the response when disaster strikes and remain deeply connected with communities during recovery. It simply made no sense to have two separate disaster agencies in two different departments reporting to two different ministers, which was the situation we had under the former government. Bringing these agencies together as one, NEMA, will provide better coordination at a national level and ensure that we are better prepared for natural disasters and that we respond more quickly.

Good governments plan for the best and prepare for the worst. Now NEMA will be a big part of that. NEMA will work side-by-side with state, territory and local governments from beginning to end. (Time expired)

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