Following record-breaking floods on NSW’s Mid North Coast that have left almost 800 homes uninhabitable, 38 former emergency service commissioners and chief officers from every state and territory are calling on the federal government to immediately release its completed National Climate Risk Assessment, so communities and emergency services can better prepare for more frequent and destructive disasters, supercharged by climate change.

Data from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service this week has confirmed that 2023 was the Earth’s hottest year on record by a large margin.