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AAP
AAP
Politics
Poppy Johnston

Disaster response storm brewing over federal finances

Nicki Hutley Federal Budget
Spending on disaster response payments is blowing out as climate change causes more extreme weather. (JASON O’BRIEN/AAP PHOTOS)

Money to make communities more resilient to climate change-fuelled floods, fires and storms has been dwarfed by the multi-billion-dollar taxpayer burden of disaster response.

Commonwealth spending on payments to help households and businesses in the immediate aftermath of disasters is on track to reach $13.5 billion following ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

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