From black summer to Queensland’s floods, two-thirds of Aussies have been touched by disaster
About 18 million Australians were living in a local government area impacted by at least one natural disaster during 2022, according to KPMG.
Heat waves, flooding and freakish storms - these things will become the new normal weather patterns, experts warn.. (PHOTO: Brisbane City Council)
An analysis from KPMG found that in some cases, local government areas had been impacted by multiple events over the past three years, while more broadly the number of people living in impacted areas was more than double the average for the past decade.
Disasters were already generating significant cost burdens with the value of insured losses caused by natural disasters in 2022 sitting at a record high of almost $7 billion.
It said more than two-thirds of Australians were being impacted by natural disasters, “emphasising the pressing need for infrastructure investments”.
The KPMG analysis found that in recent years, the population of local government areas impacted by natural disasters was at record highs.
The the black summer bushfires of 2019-20 almost one third of Australians were living in a local government area impacted by a bushfire event.
In 2022 about 70 per cent of Australians were living in a LGA impacted by a flooding event and 70 per cent were living in a LGA impacted by a storm event.
That meant that about 18 million people were living in a local government area affected by weather disasters.
KPMG urban economist Terry Rawnsley said some critical infrastructure was struggling to cope with the effects of climate change.
“A significant portion of our current infrastructure was originally constructed to withstand weather conditions based on historical patterns,” he said.
“It is highly probable that natural disasters and extreme events will continue to present substantial fiscal risks and impact to Australia’s productivity. Therefore, we must act now to ensure we have resilient infrastructure for future Australians.”
“Governments and infrastructure players must factor long-term sustainability into decision-making from the outset.”
“Disaster costs are not born equally across our communities, and it is often those with the least capacity to absorb these costs that are impacted the most.
“In the fact of increased risks of disasters, we need to ensure that our existing and future infrastructure is fit for purpose. That’s why it is crucial to incorporate adaptation measures into ‘business as usual’ retrofitting and infrastructure replacement. Failing to do so will render the infrastructure less efficient and more prone to long-term disruptions.”
