On 7 September 2022 the Senate referred Emergency Response Fund Amendment (Disaster Ready Fund) Bill 2022 [Provisions] for inquiry and report by Wednesday, 16 November 2022.
The closing date for submissions is 7 October 2022.
The final report was tabled on 16 November 2022, concluding the inquiry.
The Bill would:
- change the name of the Emergency Response Fund to the Disaster Ready Fund;
- allow up to $200 million per annum to be debited from the Disaster Ready Fund for natural disaster resilience and risk reduction;
- allow the responsible Minsters to adjust the maximum disbursement amount via a disallowable legislative instrument; and
- facilitate the transfer of responsibility for fund expenditure to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and streamline administrative arrangements in relation to transfers from the fund.