Independent Member for Clark, Andrew Wilkie, delivered the following speech in parliament today.
“Recently I hosted a briefing by the Royal Automobile Club of Tasmania on the pressing issue of Bushfire Resilience, something that unites many Tasmanians who see bushfire risk rising alongside their insurance premiums.
“Of course as a nation we often speak broadly about bushfire risk. But uniquely impacted is Tasmania, where the Tasmanian Fire Service estimates that 98 per cent of the land area is bushfire prone.
“This would of course come as no surprise to Tasmanians, with an astonishing one in six living within 50 metres of the bush; a fact that becomes especially apparent as we head into summer and Tasmanians begin reviewing their bushfire plans.
“Alarmingly bushfire risk is projected to increase by between 19 and 30 per cent by the 2040s, and if we continue to plan poorly then this will come with increasing difficulty in finding insurance and in protecting Australians. Clearly it would be negligent for the Federal Government, and the state governments, to wait for another catastrophic event and then to absolve themselves of responsibility by simply claiming it was “unprecedented.”
“No, the Federal and state governments must pull every lever available to ensure that the experts we have, can work hand in hand across every level of government to plan appropriately, mitigate risks and protect Australians. And that work must start now, not after the next disaster and not after all the funerals.”