3.4 Improving resilience to natural disasters

2024-25 Budget Measures

Natural disasters have immense economic and personal costs to communities. Climate change is increasing the risk and severity of bushfires, storms and floods in NSW,⁸⁸ requiring communities to adapt, prepare for and respond to these events. An inclusive approach to building community resilience is needed, recognising that natural disasters may have gendered impacts.

For instance, research indicates that men and women respond differently to bushfires when perceiving, preparing and responding to risks.⁸⁹ Men often focus more on ‘hard’ preparations such as setting up sprinkler systems, whereas women tend to plan household responses to ensure the safety of children and other vulnerable household members.⁹⁰ Additionally, men are more likely to want to stay and defend property, while women are more likely to leave, contributing to the overrepresentation of males in bushfire fatalities.⁹¹

Natural disasters also have a profound impact on mental health, with studies showing men affected by bushfire are 30 per cent more likely than those not affected by natural disaster to report moderate to severe depressive symptoms.⁹²

Recovery efforts can be influenced by traditional gender norms, which often associate women with caring responsibilities, potentially exacerbating women’s share of unpaid work in the aftermath of natural disasters.⁹³

NSW Government is investing $5.7 billion, including Australian Government co-contributions, to continue natural disaster recovery and support programs.

This Budget invests $2.4 million for the Disaster Response Legal Service (DRLS). This service, provided through Legal Aid NSW, is the only dedicated specialist legal service for communities impacted by disasters across NSW. The DRLS delivers services where they are most needed, adopting a multi-channel approach, including direct frontline services across NSW at Recovery Centres, telephone legal advice, community legal education, a helpline, referrals and a dedicated website.

A gender impact assessment highlighted that women are more likely to seek assistance from the DRLS and that First Nations clients prefer face-to-face services. This highlights the importance of disaster recovery centres and assistance points to be culturally safe, to support access for First Nations and culturally and linguistically diverse people.