Prime minister Scott Morrison told Sky News the move would "ensure all our emergency powers are available and that we cut through any red tape we might face in delivering services and support on the ground".
Morrison made the announcement on Friday (11 March) during a visit to Lismore in New South Wales where four people had reportedly lost their lives, describing the disaster as a "major catastrophe of national proportions".
It is the first such declaration since a law was passed in December 2020 granting additional powers in response to the devastating wildfires the country experienced shortly before the Covid crisis.
Australia, which implemented some of the world’s strictest border controls during the pandemic, reopened to fully vaccinated overseas arrivals on 21 February. Western Australia reopened on 3 March.
