Australia 'not ready' for freak weather

Climate change in the future will bring more freak weather events like super cyclones, but Australia is unprepared to deal with them, a report reveals.

As the emergency relief effort is ramped up in cyclone-stricken Burma, a strategic think-tank has warned that it is not even clear who or which authority would be in charge of responding to a similar disaster in Australia.

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) report says local emergency crews will have to deal with more injuries caused by the increased intensity of extreme events in coming years.

"So-called freak weather is becoming more common, including cyclones, storms, floods, extreme temperature, drought and bushfires," the report states.

"More coastal zone residential developments are simply increasing these risks. There will be significant evacuation and relocation of large numbers of people."

But Australia is ill-prepared to deal with the fallout, the report said.

Co-author Anthony Bergin said that if a devastating tsunami hit Australia's east coast "it's not clear who's in charge".

"When it comes to a national disaster emergency ... it's not at all clear the precise management and coordination arrangements," Dr Bergin told ABC Radio.

The report found Australia lacked an appropriate, effective, timely national community information and warning system capable of being used in the lead-up to, and recovery from, disasters.

"Recent improvements to tsunami monitoring are commendable, but don't help to convey the message of a potential impact to communities in the middle of the night."

The ASPI study says that comparatively speaking Cyclone Tracy - which devastated Darwin in 1974 - and the 1977 Granville rail disaster were both "small scale".

It says one national framework is required to manage and coordinate any significant disaster.

"In the face of climate change-induced disasters, we will have to improve our cross-jurisdictional response that involves disaster planning, emergency services, health care and infrastructure providers."

Governments will also need to "climate-proof" infrastructure.

Dr Bergin says Australia has more to fear from a national disaster than from terrorism.

But since the 9/11 attacks in the United States the bulk of disaster resources has gone into counter-terrorism measures.

About $10 billion has been invested since 2001 on Australia's counter-terrorism programs compared to just $500 million in managing the potential consequences of a large-scale natural disaster.

The ASPI study also found the average Australian family has "little concept" of planning for a situation where they may have no access to food, water or power "for three days or more".