Zali Steggall MP asks the PM to commit to a Climate Adaptation roundtable
4 February 2025
To the Prime Minister. You spoke earlier of the Queensland floods. We are seeing yet again the impacts and escalating risk of a climate crisis. But in the USA Californian wildfire damage will exceed 135 billion. We clearly cannot ensure our way out of the climate crisis. Action on preparation and resilience must occur now for some will be government commit to a roundtable to bring together construction, insurance, banking, local government, civil society to ensure better investment in climate the call to the Prime Minister.
I thank the member for Warringah for her question and for her genuine commitment to action on climate change. The member should be pleased to know that we are doing precisely along the lines in which she asks in her question. We are developing both a national adaptation plan as well as national risk assessment as we speak. We know that the impact of climate change is meaning, while Australia has always had natural disasters, if you look over a period of time they are more intense and they are more frequent. That is occurring as we speak. We have made sure as well that we are addressing the issue of insurance availability. We have established for example in one of the election commitments that we had was to establish a $200 million a year every year in disaster prevention resilient projects through the disaster ready fund. That is doing things such as raising levies around Mackay. Making sure that the cost of building bridges, for example, the discussion I spoke about earlier today, building back better so that you don't have the same bridges washed away every time there is a flood like it used to happen with the INC River Bridge in the Gulf Country. Where every time that occurred and food and medical supplies had to be helicopter did in to those communities. I spoke to Bob Katter this week some of those communities in Far North Queensland are cut off as we speak at the moment. We do need to invest in those measures. We also need to invest in projects that help reduce the risk of damage to homes and businesses that will put that downward pressure on insurance premiums. When I was in Darwin on Christmas Day, one of the things that occurred with the commemoration of the 50th Hunter of Cyclone Tracy, that tragedy. As Starwood was built back it was built back to be more Cyclone resilient. As opposed to what was there 50 years earlier which just saw massive damage that could have been less, had that not occurred. We do need to invest, we also are working with insurance companies through hazards insurance partnership brings together the Australian government and the insurance sector, creating a form so we can talk about how we can reduce those of durance premiums because we know it is having a real impact and I thank the member her ongoing interest in his very serious issues.
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