Bush must be given climate protection
Steve Johnston
Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director
Suncorp Group CEO, Steve Johnston reflects on how the first national Bush Summit asked one to consider what kind of investment is required to future-proof regional Australia against the growing threat of natural disasters.
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The Bush Summit is the opportunity we need to take stock of what matters to one of our most precious, but neglected, national assets – the vastness of the continent outside its main cities.
Bringing together governments, communities and businesses offers a chance to reset the dial on both solving the problems of the bush and developing its many advantages.
Suncorp, as a partner in this initiative, is pleased to see an alliance building around the importance of regional Australia.
This is barely news to us. We have been part of life in regional Australia, predominantly in Queensland, for more than a century.
We have helped rebuild communities after flood, fire and cyclone and provided the day-in, day-out reassurance that communities and their citizens need to plan their lives with confidence, to be able to sleep well.
The Bush Summit will help identify the initiatives to build on that confidence and strengthen the cities and towns that have experienced more than their fair share of ups and downs over recent decades.
The urbanisation of Australia has seen many regions slip behind the services enjoyed in the capital cities. But regional Australia has benefitted from the trade-off of less commuting, better access to home ownership and a peaceful life that many city dwellers would envy.
Suncorp believes the bush needs more than that if it is to retain its long-term advantages. It needs investment in resilience that will protect it from the forces of nature that will accelerate through climate change.
We already are seeing an increase in natural disasters, particularly of regional cities built for good reason in the 19th Century on riverbanks but left vulnerable to flooding in the 21st Century.
Homeowners and business owners in the bush deserve better than to be regularly at risk of destructive weather. As an insurer, Suncorp has helped many rebuild but this comes at a cost which will be reflected more and more in higher premiums.
We are encouraging governments to invest in resilience measures such as levee banks to better protect important bush towns and cities. This has already succeeded in Roma, a funding announcement has recently been made for Bundaberg and we encourage similar investment in other centres, including Rockhampton and Mackay.
We already are seeing an increase in natural disasters, particularly of regional cities built for good reason in the 19th Century on riverbanks but left vulnerable to flooding in the 21st Century.
Earlier in 2023, Suncorp hosted the McKell Institute discussion, "Is Queensland ready for its next major natural disaster?" discussing what steps the state should take in order to be prepared.
Aside from investing, governments at all levels also need to limit development on flood plains and encourage their occupants to move to higher ground.
Suncorp does not insist this is entirely a government problem. We have worked with researchers to design homes more resilient against natural disaster, we support community groups such as the State Emergency Service to both prepare communities for disaster and then recover when it strikes.
And we are enthusiastic supporters of the Bush Summit and its quest for solutions that create opportunities.
This editorial is an extended version of the original op-ed published in the Courier Mail, 15 August 2023.
