Disaster risk over far-north strategy

Plans to bolster development in Northern Australia have prompted a note of caution from a government department.

A growth in population in Northern Australia would raise the potential threat from natural disasters.

Plans to open up Northern Australia to development have prompted a note of caution from a powerful government department, which has warned of people and infrastructure being put at greater risk from natural disasters.

The Department of Home ­Affairs has highlighted the threat of climate change in a submission to a parliamentary committee ­inquiry into the effectiveness of the federal government’s Northern Australia agenda.

While recognising the economic, social and security benefits of planned development and ­continuing to direct skilled ­migrants to the regions, the ­department urged greater emphasis on disaster preparedness and resilience.

Without it, the department warned, communities might no longer be able to rely on governments to save them.

“Northern Australia has long experienced the impact of natural disasters,” the department says in its submission.

“Further, growth in Northern Australia, resulting in more people, assets and services, creates the potential for more disaster risk, with more exposure and vulnerability to disaster impacts.

“This will exacerbate existing stresses for Australians living and working in the north. Disaster ­resilience, and the ability to ­quickly recover from catastrophic disasters, is essential to ensuring that these communities continue to prosper.

“Potential escalation in the frequency and magnitude of hazards, and Australia’s increasing vulnerability to disasters, is likely to ­result in unprecedented calls on government resources and ­expertise, potentially creating unrealistic expectations and unsustainable dependences on governments.”

The department was one of several government agencies to tell the committee of ongoing work, under the Northern Australia agenda, to facilitate and support greater development.

It emerged last week that less than 1 per cent of the $5bn available under the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility had been released to fund major projects.

Northern Australia Minister Matt Canavan on Thursday ­announced the company Signature Onfarm would be given an NAIF loan of up to $25m to build a beef processing facility near ­Clermont in central Queensland. It is the southernmost project to be funded from the NAIF, and the closest to its notional boundary, the Tropic of Capricorn.

The Department of Agriculture, in its submission to the ­inquiry, highlighted the potential for further development of agriculture, forestry and fishing industries, to take advantage of markets in Asia and the Pacific.

“The northern beef industry, in particular, has benefited from its proximity to Asia,” the Agriculture Department said.