Perin Davey (NSW, National Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience, Senator McKenzie. Can the minister please update the Senate on how the Liberals and Nationals government is supporting New South Wales and Queensland communities that have been affected by the recent devastating and ongoing flood emergencies?

Slade Brockman (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Watt!

Perin Davey (NSW, National Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Watt. I'd like to hear from the minister rather than from you.

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience) | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Davey, for the question. Firstly, I want to extend my, the government's and, I'm sure, this chamber's sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of the now 24 people who have lost their lives to the terrible flooding event that started in Queensland on 22 February and has spread throughout the east coast to encompass over 81 local government areas in Queensland and New South Wales. I also want to thank our amazing SES, RFS, emergency service volunteers and ADF and all those wonderful Australians who've done what we are best known for: helping out our neighbours and our communities when times are tough.

This isn't over. Just today the rains are continuing to fall, and right now we have six evacuation orders in place for these already traumatised communities. We will continue to work closely with both New South Wales and Queensland to ensure that support is available to those communities in need. I want to pay tribute to both my state Labor colleague in Queensland and my state Nationals colleague in New South Wales for working so collaboratively during this period.

Having visited Lismore, Gympie, Ballina, Brisbane and other communities, I know that, as former Governor-General Cosgrove said when he was on the ground in Lismore, it is like ground zero. This recovery effort isn't going to be a sprint; it's going to be a marathon. Our government has delivered the fastest rollout of both financial and non-financial assistance to these communities we've ever seen following a major disaster event. It is at a scale that is likely to surpass our response to the Black Summer bushfires.

In anticipation, we activated COMSDISPLAN on 25 February, and it remains active. Queensland made its first request on 26 February, and later that week we also had requests in for category A and B assistance from New South Wales. Since then, we've been able to support over 1.4 million Australians, in combination with our state government colleagues, to get through this disaster. (Time expired)

Slade Brockman (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

A supplementary question, Senator Davey?

Perin Davey (NSW, National Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

We've heard a lot about the Emergency Response Fund which is available. Can you please explain how our government intends to use that fund to support Australians affected by these floods?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience) | Link to this | Hansard source

The Emergency Response Fund—a future fund—was designed to grow over the next decade to $6.6 billion. It's there for when all other avenues of funding have been exhausted, and its primary purpose is to ensure that we're prepared for future events for future generations. The legislation underpinning that fund is incredibly prescriptive about how it is used. The magnitude of the floods in this event and the extent of the damage that they've caused is exactly the type of scenario that the ERF was designed to deal with, and that is why we will draw down on the fund and use the $150 million allowed for this financial year to fund the emergency response and recovery, with $75 million each going to the Queensland state government and the New South Wales state government. We will use the $150 million for the 2022-23 recovery specifically for Lismore after the catastrophic flood event there for them to use it for flood mitigation, following a study that the government will also fund.

Slade Brockman (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Davey, a second supplementary question?

Perin Davey (NSW, National Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, what other resilience measures has the government put in place to reduce the impact of future natural disasters?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience) | Link to this | Hansard source

As the first Australian government to establish a national resilience focused agency, I can absolutely confirm we are committed to building Australia's resilience to natural disasters. Our plan is more considered than simply rebranding a fund that already exists, as Labor is doing with its Disaster Ready Fund, under which it claims it will spend up to $200 million—not a ringing endorsement for a funding program. Unlike Labor, we're actually getting on with the job of building resilience and giving communities hope for the future and support in the present in their efforts to get back on their feet—not politicising vulnerable communities who are struggling right now, whether they be bushfire traumatised communities or current flooded communities. Our $600 million Preparing Australia Program will support communities to undertake disaster risk reduction and resilience initiatives to reduce the impact of future disasters because we know here in this country that this will not be the last flood and this will not be the last bushfire or cyclone that our people will have to deal with. (Time expired)