A royal commission report into last summer's catastrophic bushfires is being handed to the governor-general as bushfire survivors call for urgent action on climate change to address the root cause of the natural disaster.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The commission received more than 1700 submissions with public hearings continuing until September ahead of the report's official handover on Wednesday.
The federal government is expected in coming days to respond to its recommendations, which are likely to include the best way to declare a national emergency.
The survivors say the report must address the issue of why last summer's fires were so bad and recommend urgent climate action to keep Australians safe.
"We know that the bushfires that destroyed our homes and devastated our communities were supercharged by climate change, which is driven by the burning of coal, oil, and gas," spokeswoman Jan Harris said.
"The whole process will have been in vain if it doesn't follow up its acknowledgement of climate change's role in the fires with action."
The survivors will meet federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese and Labor MP Kristy McBain, whose NSW seat of Eden-Monaro was devastated by the fires.
They will speak to other federal politicians including independent Helen Haines, urging them to pursue net-zero emissions and embrace renewable energy.
In its report, the commission into natural disaster arrangements is also expected to outline how to make the role of the Australian Defence Force during bushfires clearer.
"Some state government agencies and some local governments did not understand what tasks the ADF could perform, how to seek ADF assistance or how best to interact with the ADF once it was deployed, during both the response and recovery phases," the commission said in its interim observations released in August.
The final report is expected to outline further recommendations regarding wildlife management, mental health, disaster recovery funding arrangements, land management, aerial firefighting and the use of emergency warning apps.
The commission has already suggested a body such as the national cabinet, set up to deal with coronavirus, be tasked with managing the response to future bushfires, something federal Emergency Management Minister David Littleproud says has merit.
The commission began its work in February in the wake of Australia's devastating summer bushfires.
Those fires raged across 10 million hectares, took 33 lives and destroyed 10,000 homes and other structures.
More than 80,000 head of livestock were killed and millions of native plants and animals were lost.
Since that time the commission has examined Australia's preparedness, response and recovery from disasters, and looked at ways to improve resilience and adapt to changing climatic conditions.
Australian Associated Press
