Published | 5 June 2026
Households will be given practical assistance and incentives to prepare their homes for bushfire as part of a landmark pilot delivered in partnership between the RACT, City of Hobart and Kingborough Councils and the University of Tasmania.
For the first time in Australia, the pilot will coordinate action across households, local government and a local insurer, backed by rigorous independent research, to boost community preparedness and resilience.
RACT Group CEO Mark Mugnaioni said as Tasmania's member-owned insurer, RACT was deeply committed to helping communities become more resilient.
"As a Tasmanian-owned insurer we have significant expertise in understanding the risks Tasmanian households face,” Mr Mugnaioni said.
"Bushfire is one of the most significant and growing threats our members face but our research and data give us powerful insights into what effective risk reduction looks like."
"Our members have told us they want to be better prepared for the threat of natural disasters but they need more support and information to act. That's what this partnership is all about."
Hobart Lord Mayor, Anna Reynolds, said:
“The City of Hobart’s investment in this partnership is an investment in reducing the risk of bushfire to Hobart. This new partnership is nation-leading, and it puts practical support directly into the hands of households in our highest-risk communities.
“This program reflects our Council’s strong commitment to bushfire preparedness, which is Hobart’s biggest risk. The damage that could be caused to Hobart by a significant fire can only be reduced if we work closely with partners like the RACT, fire scientists, other levels of government and the community.”
Acting Mayor Christian Street said the pilot represents an important step in helping communities better prepare for bushfire risk.
“This partnership brings together practical support, local knowledge and research to help households take meaningful action to protect their homes and families,” Cr Street said.
“It’s about giving people the tools, information and confidence to reduce risk and build resilience across our community.”
Through the pilot, RACT and its partners will work with selected households and their immediate communities in the pilot areas to understand what motivates people to act, what are the barriers to action, which messages and supports are most effective, and how individuals and communities can be better equipped to reduce risk.
Practical support will include conducting assessments with households and using interactive mapping and modelling software to visualise risk and recommend the most effective mitigation measures.
Households in the pilot will be supported to maintain defensible space around their homes through initiatives like free green waste disposal days and street skip bins. Hobart and Kingborough Councils will complement this by providing additional vegetation management on council land in the pilot locations.
The pilot has been designed by the UTAS Fire Centre to scientifically assess the impact of combining different risk reduction activities, findings which could ultimately be used to improve access to affordable insurance.
The pilot will initially be rolled out to a small number of households across Hobart and Kingborough, selected due to their location in high bushfire-risk areas along the urban–bushland interface.
Subject to the program's success in securing a Disaster Ready Fund grant from the Commonwealth Government, there is strong potential to expand the initiative to include more households and communities.
More information and enquiries about the project to [email protected]