Federal response to Royal Commission

Bushfire CRC partners may have noted that the Attorney General released an important Ministerial Statement to the House of Representatives this week – The Commonwealth Response to the final report of the Victorian Bushfire Royal Commission.

The Attorney General said the Commonwealth “strongly supports” the five recommendations related to its jurisdiction, including the recommendation to establish a national centre for bushfire research.

There has been some interpretation in the media and other places about what the Attorney General meant regarding the structure and organisation of such a centre. However, in my personal discussions with the Attorney General’s office in recent days, it is clear that the Australian Government and the Bushfire CRC are in agreement on the progress towards a national centre for bushfire research.

This will be a priority area for discussion at our Stakeholder Council meeting in Sydney on 9 November so I urge all partners to ensure their representatives attend.