The federal government has released the terms of reference for a Royal Commission into Australia's bushfire crisis focusing on coordination and improving resilience.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison says it's important to establish a legal framework for national involvement in big emergencies:
That national perspective as I said will look at what is the arrangements when you could have a national state of emergency or disaster declared. There is no such power. There is no such declaration that currently exists and therefore no consequent powers or authorities or actions that would flow from such a declaration.
A former federal court judge, Dr Annabelle Bennett, climate risk specialist Professor Andrew Macintosh and Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin have been named as commissioners.
Six months has been allocated for the inquiry before it reports back later this year.
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