The Department of Home Affairs is to establish a new National Resilience Taskforce to reduce the impacts of natural disasters on the Australian community.
Announced by the Minister for Law Enforcement and Cyber Security, Angus Taylor, the new taskforce will be made up of about 20 officers from the Home Affairs portfolio and will lead nationwide reforms to reduce the impact and financial burden of disasters on communities and the economy.
Mr Taylor said the taskforce’s first priority would be to develop a five-year national disaster mitigation framework to reduce the impact of disasters.
“The framework will be developed in consultation with the States and Territories and the private sector, including insurance and finance, and will seek to limit risks, provide prevention strategies, and improve decision-making,” Mr Taylor said.
“It will also establish a national disaster risk information capability to equip decision-makers and Australians with the knowledge they need to prepare for natural disasters.
He said natural disasters had cost the Australian economy on average more than $18 billion per year for the past 10 years.
The taskforce will be led by former Director General of Emergency Management Australia, Mark Crosweller.
Mr Taylor said it will work closely with Emergency Management Australia, ensuring a dedicated focus to the framework and the Government’s disaster mitigation reform agenda.
