I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet and I pay my respects to their elders past, present and emerging.
Thank you all for being here today and for the opportunity to say a few words.
The spirit of co-operation and the sense of focus and purpose in this room – is a credit to all of you and an inspiration to our country.
We may still be in the first month of spring – but Australians are already fighting fires.
The reality of climate change presents itself in conditions which are more extreme, more unpredictable and more frequent.
And the clear consensus is that Australia is facing a fire season every bit as dangerous as that which inflicted the Black Summer of three years ago.
For months, we depended on the strength of the Australian spirit throughout that most challenging of times.
We owed so much to the courage, skill and dedication of our emergency services personnel.
You and your colleagues put your own safety on the line, for the sake of your fellow Australians.
You know the dangers you are up against, and yet you keep going.
The rest of us stand in awe of that, trying to find the words to express how grateful we are for what you do.
But we owe you – and the communities you protect - more than our admiration and gratitude.
For your sake, and for the sake of your families, we owe you our total commitment to the best possible state of preparedness.
To treat the coming fire season with all the seriousness and urgency it deserves.
And to listen to all of you, the people on the front lines, so we learn the lessons of seasons past.
So we ensure that our lines of communication move faster than any firefront
So we enable co-operation and drive co-ordination, across agencies, across borders.
And across state and federal and local government.
And to make sure this holds true not just for decision-making in the grip of the emergency but also for the long and difficult work of rebuilding and recovery
Getting communities back on their feet, getting people the support they need.
This is where it’s really valuable to have leaders in logistics, the energy and telco sectors, food and groceries, the insurance industry and so many other important non-government organisations here with us today.
Your work is vital to preparedness - and essential to recovery.
And in all that we do, we must continue to listen to locals, so help goes where it is needed most and so we are better protected into the future.
This Summit is about preparing Australia for the very worst.
But when I look out at this room, I see some of Australia’s very best.
Thank you for the service you give our nation.
All Australians are thinking of you, in the work ahead.