Publications

The Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements was announced in February 2020. The terms of reference were broad and required examination of, among other things:

• the responsibilities of, and coordination between, Australian, state, territory and local governments relating to natural disasters
• Australia’s arrangements for improving resilience and adapting to changing climate conditions
• what actions should be taken to mitigate the impacts of natural disasters, and
• whether changes are needed to Australia’s legal framework for the involvement of the Commonwealth in responding to national emergencies

As required by its Terms of Reference, the inquiry focussed on national natural disaster arrangements – that is, arrangements involving all levels of government, the private and not-for-profit sectors, communities, families, and individuals. These arrangements concern all phases of disaster management: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.

Commission Chair, Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin AC (Retd) presented the Royal Commission’s report to the Governor-General on Wednesday, 28 October 2020.

The report of the Royal Commission, containing 80 recommendations, was tabled in the Parliament on 28 October 2020.

A limited number of hard copies of the Royal Commission’s report are available for delivery.