News

25 August 2025

Today I introduce the Climate Change (National Framework for Adaptation) Bill 2025 – landmark legislation to protect our communities, economy and environment from escalating risks of climate change.

This Bill ensures independent, regular climate risk assessments and a fully funded National Adaptation Plan, so Australia is prepared, resilient, and able to thrive in a changing climate.

It’s about keeping families safe, safeguarding livelihoods, and making sure Australia can stand strong in the face of accelerating climate impacts.

We cannot afford to leave our safety, economy, and prosperity to chance or the current piecemeal, reactive approach where the government only turns up after events, keen for the photos opp.

We need an independent plan grounded in evidence, transparency and accountability. Ignoring or downplaying the problem and threat does not make it go away.

In many parts of Australia, people are already living the reality of escalating climate risks, like coastal erosion, flooding, communities and industries disrupted and spiralling insurance premiums.

The NSW State Disaster Mitigation Plan warns that by 2060, the Northern Beaches LGA alone could face close to $1 billion in annual damages from extreme weather. Currently disasters are costing Australia $38 billion per year and that is scheduled to double by 2060.

Household costs from extreme weather impacts are set to rise from $888/year to $2,500/year by 2050.

Local government is left bearing the increased costs of road maintenance, storm and disaster repairs and residents end up paying sky high rates.

We are standing at a crossroad. The Albanese Government is withholding its one-off National Climate Risk Assessment.

The report has been finished for months. Those who are familiar with the report have described its findings as “dire”, “diabolical” and “extremely confronting”

It contains suburb-level mapping of inundation, projections of drought, and alarming forecasts for agriculture and health.

This report was meant to inform our national response and should drive an ambitious target for 2035 of at least 75% reduction to mitigate as fast as possible and drive investment and innovation.

If the government is genuine in addressing climate risks, then it would debate this bill and legislate a national climate risk framework.

Rather than giving debate for the Coalition’s continued climate denial. The Coalition are more and more on the fringe and irrelevant. The question now is will the government act or just be less bad then them?

In 2021, I launched Climate Act Now – a campaign to legislate net zero and a clear path to emissions reduction. Legislating Net Zero was an important commitment, now the government must legislate a national risk framework to keep Australia safe.

We can still prevent the most catastrophic climate scenarios – but we must also prepare for what’s coming.

We know that we have a level of climate impact already locked in due to past emissions.

Adaptation is not giving up – it’s about implementing smart investment to safeguard our economy and communities.

Research shows us that every $1 spent on resilience can save up to $11 in recovery cost, yet the government continues to spend only 13% of the disaster budget on resilience and adaptation.

Last year, I convened a climate risk roundtable with experts, local government, industry and academics.

What I heard was confronting – the scale of the risk is enormous.

But so is our capacity to protect ourselves if we act decisively.

This bill provides us with the framework for us to get adaptation right:

Independent National Climate Change Risk Assessments every 5 years – free from political interference, publicly released, and comprehensive.

A National Adaptation Plan in response to each assessment – fully funded, with clear strategies, timelines, and measurable outcomes.

Annual progress reports to Parliament, ensuring governments are accountable.

Climate-related reports, including declassified versions of intelligence assessments, ONI, must be released to the public

The Federal Budget must also include climate risk costs – so the economic reality is clear.

This Bill is about certainty, independence, and preparation – ensuring future governments take climate risk seriously, regardless of who is in power.

Last week saw the Treasurer failed to address or include at the roundtable the impact of climate change. We cannot insure our way out of the climate crisis. 

Australia can’t afford to keep reacting after disasters strike.

Planning for climate impacts is crucial – it’s how we protect our economy, our communities and our way of life.

This Bill is common sense, fiscally responsible, and future-focused.

Its time for reality – climate change is here, it’s costly, and it’s accelerating. The Nationals and LNP don’t want targtes or to reduce emissions but they always are their for handouts for diaster relief.

Other jurisdictions and countries have the tools, the knowledge, and the ability to adapt, prepare, and thrive.

The question is not whether the risks exist – they do. The question is whether this Government will be brave enough to act, or does it remain shackled to fossil fuel interests and outdated policies?

This 48^th Parliament is an opportunity protect Australia, will the government be reckless and ignore this responsibility?

History will judge this PM and government for its actions. I urge all Members to support the Climate Change (National Framework for Adaptation) Bill 2025.