Bushfire Royal Commission reactions in the Snowy Valleys see survivors call for climate change action

The Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangement yesterday released its final report, warning the country needs to be prepared for a future shaped by global warming and an unpredictable climate.

Mr Sweeney and his family have moved four times since their house was partially destroyed in the Dunns Road fire and are currently living in a caravan park while facing "frustrating" bureaucratic hurdles to have their property cleaned and repaired.

Mr Sweeney has called for greater government leadership in future crises and believes the Commonwealth is "dragging its feet" on climate action.

"We have to act on it, regardless of what the causes are, to try and get the planet to cool. The rest of the world is forging ahead and we're going to get left behind in the renewable technology future," he said.

The royal commission's report makes 80 wide-ranging recommendations and concludes Australia needs a national approach to managing disasters and better coordination across all levels of government, saying "the Australian public expected greater Australian government action" during the 2019-2020 bushfires.

The report frequently mentioned the importance of coordinating disaster management between different levels of government and external agencies.

"More will be required of all. Neither individuals nor any one level of government will be able to cope alone," the report said.

It also recommended the government legislate the power to declare a state of national emergency.

"The declaration should be made by the Prime Minister, and legislation should be clear about the circumstances in which a declaration may be made, and the actions that the Australian government can then take to support state and territory governments," the report said.

The report made 67 mentions of climate change and said extreme weather events had already become more frequent and intense, though it made no recommendations around cutting Australia's carbon emissions.

Other recommendations include improving firefighting resources, developing a new Australian hazard warning app and rolling out a new, nationally consistent fire danger ratings system.

Bushfire Survivors For Climate Action president Jo Dodds said she was keen to see the federal government take action on the report's recommendations.

"It's very frustrating ... that we've now had dozens of royal commissions into bushfires and I wonder how many recommendations in this report are just repeats of what we've heard before," she said.

Former NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service regional manager Dave Darlington, who has more than 10 years' experience of fire management in the Snowy Valleys, said he was pleased to see the royal commission had made "such a thorough inquiry".

Mr Darlington called on federal Member for the Riverina Michael McCormack to support a "bipartisan way forward" to address climate change.

"I'm hoping he'll pick up this report and say it's time we really take climate change seriously in this country," he said.

Mr McCormack was unavailable for an interview.