SYDNEY: A royal commission into Australia’s devastating 2019-2020 summer bush fires released its final report on Friday, calling for the prime minister and federal government to have greater powers to manage natural disasters.
A total of 33 people died, over 3,000 homes were destroyed and 24 million hectares were burnt in the disaster that followed Australia’s hottest and driest year on record. While the major public inquiry was born out of the “Black Summer” bush fires, it looked at natural disasters more generally.
“Natural disasters have changed and it has become clear to us that the nation’s disaster management arrangements must also change,” the report states.
“Extreme weather has already become more frequent and intense because of climate change; further global warming over the next 20 to 30 years is inevitable.” After six months, 270 witnesses and 80,000 documents, the nearly 1,000-page report can be narrowed down to 80 key recommendations.
Among them are calls for greater federal government powers to declare a state of emergency, an all-hazard emergency warning app and more aerial firefighting resources. It said that every state and territory had fires to some extent and while those governments “have primary responsibility and accountability,” Australia needs a national approach to natural disasters. “During the 2019-2020 bush fires, the Australian public expected greater Australian Government action,” it said.
Emergency Management Minister David Littleproud said the federal government was “committed to responding to and auctioning many of the recommendations as soon as possible.”
In particular, giving the prime minister responsibilities to declare a state of emergency would be an important “trigger point” to mobilise support for states and territories, he said. There are also recommendations for greater collaboration with indigenous communities, suggesting that governments “engage further with Traditional Owners to explore the relationship between Indigenous land and fire management and natural disaster resilience.”
While the report pointed at climate change as contributing to increased frequency and severity of natural disasters, the recommendations focused primarily on actions to make the country more resilient to such events. Greg Mullins, the former New South Wales fire commissioner who had warned the government ahead of the disastrous fire season, held a press conference after the report’s release slamming Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s “insufficient” climate policies.
He said every state and territory has “a net zero emissions policy for 2050. Canberra doesn’t.” “They’re out of step with states and territories in Australia.They’re out of step with our major trading partners, like Japan and South Korea, that just this week have adopted a net zero emissions climate policy.”
On Tuesday Britain released details of a call in which prime minister Boris Johnson emphasised to Morrison “the importance of setting ambitious targets to cut emissions and reach Net Zero.”
The Australian government has promised to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 26-28 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, but it is yet to set a longer term target. — dpa
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