Thanks to the outstanding efforts of the Tasmanian Fire Service, Parks and Wildlife and Forestry Tasmania and volunteers, we emerged from the extensive bushfires of 2015-2016 without loss of life and limited infrastructure damage.
However, the amount of resources required to bring these fires under control was significant, with Treasury estimating that the total cost of the 2015-16 bushfire emergency at approximately $55 million across the three agencies.
The impact on the State’s final costs, based on Natural Disaster Recovery and Relief Arrangements (NDRRA) program thresholds, should see Tasmania expected to contribute approximately $25 million towards the bushfire emergency and we would expect reimbursement of $30 million from the Australian Government.
The estimated costs of $55 million will be reflected in the Treasurer's Annual Financial Report for 2015‑16. The receipt of Australian Government NDRRA funding will offset these costs and will be received in subsequent years.