STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Ms STEGGALL (Warringah) (16:01): Today marks the start of EmergencyRedi Week. It aims to encourage all Australians to prepare for emergencies and disasters before they strike. It comes as weather forecasts warn that a powerful El Nino is expected to bring hotter and drier conditions this spring and summer.

That is likely to mean heatwaves, bushfires and drought. Alarmingly, new Red Cross research—out today, in fact—shows that millennials are the generation least prepared for a disaster. Seventy-one per cent of Australians aged 30 to 45 have no physical provisions for an emergency.

Of course, these are the people building careers and raising families. They need practical support to protect themselves and their children. In Warringah and across Australia, preparedness must be a priority.

We can't afford to wait. Households can't carry the burden and responsibility alone. This government must fund much greater targeted preparedness and adaptation, provide preparedness education, strengthen local emergency services, and invest in safer homes, infrastructure and insurance accessibility.

I've consistently called for a properly funded, coordinated national approach to climate adaptation and resilience, alongside stronger emissions reduction to mitigate this. We must give councils and community organisations the resources to help families prepare before disasters strike.