Government establish national Royal Commission into the Black Summer bushfires

·

A national Royal Commission into Australia’s devastating Black Summer bushfires will be established following agreement from the Governor-General, His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd).

The Morrison Government has today released the Terms of Reference for the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements, informed by feedback from states and territories.  

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the scale of the Black Summer bushfires presented new challenges for all levels of government, which required a detailed national inquiry.

“My priority is to keep Australians safe and to do that, we need to learn from the Black Summer bushfires how nationally we can work better with the states and territories to better protect and equip Australians for living in hotter, drier and longer summers,” the Prime Minister said.

“In particular, we need to consider the need to establish new powers for the Federal Government to declare a national state of emergency to trigger direct Federal Government responses to national disasters, including the direct deployment of the Australian Defence Force. Currently, there are no such powers and Federal responses are supposed to only be undertaken in response to State requests and authorisations.

“During the Black Summer bushfires, we entered a  constitutional grey zone by directly initiating defence force deployments, utilising the first ever compulsory call out of Reservists, with over 6,500 ADF personnel serving in support of state and territory response efforts. But we did that without clear rules.

“The inquiry acknowledges climate change, the broader impact of our summers getting longer, drier and hotter and is focussed on practical action that has a direct link to making Australians safer.

“That’s why we need to look at what actions should be taken to enhance our preparedness, resilience and recovery through the actions of all levels of government and the community, for the environment we are living in. 

“The overwhelming majority of the actions to protect Australians from bushfires are undertaken at a State level. Everything from resourcing our fire services and hazard reduction, to land clearing and planning laws. Even the declaration of emergencies, the areas that are designated to receive payments and in most cases the assessment and delivery of those payments, even when they are funded by the Federal Government, are all undertaken by the States.

“I believe Australians are wanting us to look at ways we can work together to give Australians greater assurances at a national level that these important tasks are getting done.

“I want the Royal Commission to begin as soon as possible with the final report due back by August 31, so recommendations can be acted upon before our next bushfire season.

“I want to thank Premiers and Chief Ministers for their consultative and collaborative approach in drafting the Terms of Reference. We have listened, valued their input and made changes to take on board feedback where appropriate.

“The national response to these devastating Black Summer bushfires is a shared responsibility of the Commonwealth, states and territories. We all have one goal – to protect people, property and wildlife.”  

The Royal Commission will not going to duplicate the work of other inquiries, but will work with other inquiries announced by the States and it will also review the work and recommendations of previous inquiries.

This inquiry has a national focus and will look at three key areas:

  • Improving natural disaster management coordination across all levels of government;
  • Improving Australia’s preparedness, resilience, and response to natural disasters, across all levels of government;
  • The legal framework for the Commonwealth’s involvement in responding to national emergencies and how that works with state and territory legal frameworks.

The Royal Commission will be led by Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin AC (Retd), who will be joined by:

  • The Hon Dr Annabelle Bennett AC SC, former Federal Court Judge, and
  • Professor Andrew Macintosh, a specialist in climate risk and impact management.

“The three Commissioners are respected leaders in their fields and they bring a mix of expertise to the inquiry, including judicial, military and environmental planning and management backgrounds,” the Prime Minister said.

“The Commonwealth Government is already acting, providing whatever support is needed to bushfire impacted communities.

“We will do what is necessary to ensure communities rebuild, recover and build up resilience to these bushfires. That’s why we set up the National Bushfire Recovery Agency and gave them a $2 billion fund for clean-up operations, tourism support, wildlife recovery, local government assistance, small business reconstruction, primary producers, farmers, graziers, and families, as well as vital mental health support.

“This is in addition to over $100 million already provided in emergency payments for impacted individuals and families and payments for volunteer firefighters.

“It’s a long road ahead and we will be with these communities every step of the way as they rebuild.”

The Prime Minister has written to all State Premiers inviting them to issue concurrent commissions under their respective legal frameworks for Royal Commissions.

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

Inaugural Christmas tree lighting at Greek Orthodox Diocese of Brisbane

Bishop Bartholomew of Brisbane welcomed clergy and laity to the Holy Diocese of Brisbane for the first-ever Christmas tree lighting ceremony.

Pharos Alliance becomes a legal entity and launches its inaugural Symposium

Pharos Alliance is now a registered not-for-profit organisation, dedicated to the promotion, maintenance and expansion of Greek.

Andriana Petrakis claims titles at 2024 Peter Smith Open

Andriana Petrakis won her singles title and doubles at the SA Tennis Championships tournament for Players with Intellectual Impairment.

Nurse Flora Markogiannakis on working in the ICU of Royal Melbourne Hospital

More than 3,000 critically ill patients pass through the doors Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH)'s ICU each year, making it a hub of vital care.

Greek tomato growers angered amid fruit virus outbreak in SA

Prominent South Australian tomato growers Harry Kapiris, Peter Petsios and Emmanuel Cafcakis have criticised the handling of a tomato virus.

You May Also Like

Maria Sakkari beats Iga Swiatek in WTA Finals debut

No. 4 seed Maria Sakkari won 6-2, 6-4 against Iga Swiatek in her debut at the WTA Finals in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Dr Nick Lygeros gives lecture in Sydney showcasing the value of Greek language

Dr Nick Lygeros gave a lecture on the Greek language on Sunday, March 5 at the Camelot Lounge in Marrickville, Sydney.

Australian PM announces cabinet reshuffle to shape pandemic recovery

Dan Tehan will take over as Trade Minister under a cabinet reshuffle announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday.