The Department of Home Affairs is to host a new tracking document to keep the community informed of progress implementing the recommendations of the recent Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements.
Minister for Emergency Management, David Littleproud said updates to the tracking document would be published monthly.
“This will ensure the community is aware of the crucial work being achieved across all levels of Government and industry to improve national emergency management capabilities,” Mr Littleproud said.
He said there had been more than 240 reports into natural disasters since 1920 with most of them still sitting in drawers around the country unaddressed.
“We owe it to those 34 people who paid the ultimate sacrifice in our black summer last year to act on the recommendations of the Royal Commission,” Mr Littleproud said.
“Every Australian rightly deserves transparency around how all levels of Government and industry are responding to the Royal Commission, otherwise it will all be for nothing.”
He said the Royal Commission had presented Australian Governments, not for profits and the private sector with a road map to better equip communities adapting to and recovering from disasters.
“I urge all my State counterparts to show the same commitment to fulfil their obligations as outlined by the Royal Commission’s recommendations,” the Minister said.
“The transparency provided by this tracking document will allow all Australians to see the positive moves we make to help us in the future.”
He said the tracking document would be available on the Department of Home Affairs website.