On 5 February 2020, the Senate referred the following matter to the Finance and Public Administration References Committee for inquiry and report:
Lessons to be learned in relation to the preparation and planning for, response to and recovery efforts following the 2019-20 Australian bushfire season, with particular reference to:
(a) advice provided to the Federal Government, prior to the bushfires, about the level of bushfire risk this fire season, how and why those risks differed from historical norms, and measures that should be taken to reduce that risk in the future;
(b) the respective roles and responsibilities of different levels of government, and agencies within government, in relation to bushfire planning, mitigation, response, and recovery;
(c) the Federal Government’s response to recommendations from previous bushfire Royal Commissions and inquiries;
(d) the adequacy of the Federal Government’s existing measures and policies to reduce future bushfire risk, including in relation to assessing, mitigating and adapting to expected climate change impacts, land use planning and management, hazard reduction, Indigenous fire practices, support for firefighters and other disaster mitigation measures;
(e) best practice funding models and policy measures to reduce future bushfire risk, both within Australia and internationally;
(f) existing structures, measures and policies implemented by the Federal Government, charities and others to assist communities to recover from the 2019-20 bushfires, including the performance of the National Bushfire Recovery Agency;
(g) the role and process of advising Government and the federal Parliament of scientific advice;
(h) an examination of the physical and mental health impacts of bushfires on the population, and the Federal Government’s response to those impacts; and
(i) any related matters.