National disaster fund should be paid for by fossil fuel export levy: poll

The survey by The Australia Institute also found more than 70 per cent of voters want a National Adaptation Plan and a National Risk Assessment to help the nation prepare for the impacts of climate change.

The Australia Institute climate and energy director Richie Merzian said regardless of their voting intentions, people across the political spectrum understood the need to prepare for climate change, which was "happening right now".

"Our research shows landslide support across all voting intentions for a National Risk Assessment and a National Adaptation Plan," Mr Merzian said.

"The question for the government is why they have never assessed Australia's vulnerability to climate change."

Mr Merzian said the federal government was "woefully unprepared" to deal with the realities of climate change and voters were clearly asking themselves how many climate-fuelled disasters they are prepared to endure before they demand a government that implemented legitimate climate policies.

"So-called once in 100-year disasters like the devastating recent floods and the catastrophic Black Summer bushfires have become all too frequent," Mr Merzian said.

"How many once in a generation climate disasters do we have to bear before we accept the climate has changed?"

The polling found 55pc of Australians do not believe the Commonwealth government has done enough to prepare for the impacts of climate change, compared to 37pc who agree.

"This Government is more focused on peddling false climate solutions like dirty hydrogen and dodgy carbon offsets than they are on helping Australians prepare for climate impacts like floods and bushfires," Mr Merzian said.

"There is clear support [67pc] for a National Climate Disaster Fund, so that those profiting from fossil fuels help contribute to the cost of climate impacts, rather than disaster-stricken communities who are currently bearing the brunt."

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