A new Federal Agency is to be established to coordinate the Commonwealth’s role in future natural disasters as part of the Australian Government’s response to the recent Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements.
A National Resilience, Relief and Recovery Agency is to be set up to incorporate the functions of the National Bushfire Recovery Agency and integrate functions of the National Drought and North Queensland Flood Response and Recovery Agency, as well as disaster recovery and risk reduction functions within the Department of Home Affairs.
Announcing the new Agency, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said it would drive the reduction of natural disaster risk, enhance natural disaster resilience and ensure effective relief and recovery to all hazards.
“The Royal Commission made clear that there is a need for a genuinely national approach and a greater role for the Commonwealth to support States and Territories to prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural disasters,” Mr Morrison said.
“We will introduce legislation to give the Australian Government the power to declare a national emergency to help mobilise Commonwealth resources and help tackle the challenges states and local communities may face,” he said.
“We will enhance and strengthen national coordination arrangements within Emergency Management Australia (EMA) to streamline requests for Australian Government assets to assist States and Territories in their preparation and response to disasters.”
Mr Morrison said a Resilience Services function would be established to provide enhanced climate and disaster risk information and services to meet the needs of the EMA, and the proposed new Agency.
The Prime Minister said Resilience Services would better connect and leverage the Commonwealth’s extensive data, information and capabilities to manage climate and disaster risk, including those of the Bureau of Meteorology, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Geoscience Australia and the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The Commonwealth’s 32-page response to the Royal Commission’s report can be accessed at this PS News link.
