Thu, 15th May 2008

Labor refuses to extend support for natural disaster mitigation

Sophie Mirabella MP
Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government

Sophie Mirabella, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government, has questioned the Rudd Government’s budget extension of the Natural Disaster Mitigation Programme for only one year, stating that local councils and communities require greater funding certainty.

“The Natural Disaster Mitigation Program (NDMP) was developed by the former Coalition Government to assist local councils and other organisations invest in practical mitigation measures to withstand the impact of natural disasters,” Mrs Mirabella said.

“The program aids local communities better prepare for natural disasters such as landslides, bushfires, floods, cyclones and storms.”

“Labor has sold out rural and regional Australia by cutting more than $1 billion from existing assistance programmes. Their decision to extend the life of the Natural Disaster Mitigation Programme by just one year only adds to their entrenched disdain for rural and regional communities,” Mrs Mirabella said.

“Natural disasters across Australia inflict more than $1 billion worth of damage each year, along with the obvious disruption to communities. Many have predicted that such occurrences will be even more widespread and severe in the future.”

“The Natural Disaster Mitigation Program heralded a policy shift in focus towards more cost-effective, evidence-based disaster mitigation which looked beyond simply disaster response and reaction, but focussed efforts towards anticipation, mitigation and prevention,” Mrs Mirabella said.

“In Labor’s Budget, the NDMP receives a paltry, one-year allocation of funding – with no indication of the programme’s extension.”

“This important programme deserves more than the lip-service paid to it by the Rudd Government – otherwise local councils across Australia and ratepayers will foot the bill,” Mrs Mirabella concluded.