Page 2087 - Week 07 - Thursday, 20 August 2020
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MR RATTENBURY (Kurrajong—Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability, Minister for Corrections and Justice Health, Minister for Justice, Consumer Affairs and Road Safety and Minister for Mental Health) (2.42): Madam Speaker, I am pleased to table the ACT Climate Council’s report Learning from Canberra’s Climate-Fuelled Summer of Crisis. This report was developed by the independent ACT Climate Change Council in response to the extreme events that we experienced over the summer, including smoke, fires, extreme heat and the January hailstorm. Over summer, the ACT simultaneously experienced multiple climate-related events, leading to unexpected impacts. For example, the extreme heat, combined with smoke pollution, meant that many people, even those whose homes are usually relatively comfortable, found their homes did not protect them adequately. Renters and low-income households were particularly vulnerable due to poor quality rental housing, lack of air-conditioning or inability to use air conditioning due to running costs.
As we experience climate change, such extreme weather events will unfortunately become more frequent and more severe. It is critical that we learn from the experience of the summer to ensure that we are better prepared in future. It is for this reason—so that we can increase our resilience to climate-driven emergencies—that the council prepared the report. As we know, the summer of 2019-20 brought extreme heatwaves, drought, bushfires and storms in the territory. The council’s report highlights the economic, social and environmental impacts of these events. To summarise these impacts: the ACT had its hottest day on record on 4 January at 44 degrees Celsius. Records were broken across the country that day, with Penrith recording 48.9 degrees Celsius.
In 2019, the ACT’s rainfall was 40 per cent below the long-term average. The drought, combined with extreme heat, put pressure on ecosystems and created dangerous fire conditions. The extent and severity of the bushfires across the country were, in a word that has been used a lot in 2020, unprecedented. The Orroral Valley fire burned 80 per cent of Namadgi National Park, including sensitive areas such as alpine bogs and fens. For many weeks thick smoke pollution hung over our city. On several days Canberra had the worst air quality of any city in the world, recording extremely hazardous levels of particulate pollution. Research published in The Medical Journal of Australia in March 2020 suggests that smoke pollution during the bushfire crisis may have killed more than 400 people across Australia, including around 30 in the ACT. On 20 January a severe hailstorm caused extensive damage to buildings and vehicles. More than 87,000 insurance claims were lodged in south-eastern Australia, with estimated losses of $894 million. Around 50,000 of these claims were in the ACT, equating to potential estimated losses of over $500 million.
In this context, the council undertook to study these events through the experience of Canberra residents and the expertise of various disciplined specialists. To inform the report, the council ran community engagement activities during March 2020, including three community fora and a survey of relevant experts. The report also draws on the expertise of council members, who are all well regarded experts in their fields. The council’s engagement with the community through these three workshops identified recurring themes, suggestions and concerns in the areas of mental health and wellbeing, access to information, community connection and the built environment.
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