Federal inquiry into disaster funding welcomed by State Government and Opposition following Seroja delays

Both sides of WA politics have welcomed a national inquiry into disaster spending, stating a review could improve how disaster relief is handled following cyclone Seroja. On February 1, Federal Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt announced an independent review would be held into disaster funding in Australia. “This review is the next step in ensuring the Albanese Government is doing everything we can to wisely invest in measures that will protect Australians from disasters and support them when they strike,” Mr Watt said. The review will continue the Commonwealth’s investigations into Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA), and comes as DRFA spending, managed by the WA Government, continues to rollout slowly in response to cyclone Seroja. As of November, just under $7 million out of a joint Federal-State $104.5m relief package had been dispersed to victims of the cyclone from April 2021. WA Emergency Minister Stephen Dawson said the review would help improve disaster management in WA and complement a number of measures being carried out by the State Government to improve disaster resilience. “Disaster recovery is a complex and challenging process — everyone’s recovery journey is different,” he said. “This review is an important step forward in identifying what the State and Commonwealth can do to create a more efficient and simplified recovery funding model that works for all Australians.” Shadow minister for emergency services Martin Aldridge welcomed the announcement, and said a review into disaster funding needed to examine how the WA government had handled the relief effort following cyclone Seroja. “In Western Australia we are witnessing the abject failure to deliver for Seroja-impacted communities in our Mid West with less than 10 per cent of funds hitting the ground almost two years on from the event,” he said. Mr Aldridge said there were inconsistencies in Seroja disaster relief which should be addressed. “The inquiry should also examine concerns relating to equity and fairness as we witness significant variability in relief packages even within the same jurisdiction,” he said. “We often hear that relief funding is not and should not be designed to replace losses that are insurable, however it appears governments are quick to dispense with that defence in differing circumstances.” The inquiry is expected to take 18 months, with a final report provided to the Federal Government in April 2024.