Australia’s extreme hot and dry summer, which saw about 1.6% of the continent burn in deadly and unprecedented bushfires, was not unique and should be expected to reoccur, the first hearing of an inquiry into the handling of the crisis was told.

During an online ceremonial hearing today, chairman Mark Binskin formally opened the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements.

The first phase of online hearings will take place next month and the six-month inquiry must deliver a final report by August 31.

"We accept that the extreme conditions we witnessed across the country in 2019-20 can, and most likely will, happen again,” Mr Binskin said.

"With this as our starting point, it is this royal commission's task to learn from the catastrophic experience and consider how we can take a national and co-ordinated approach to preparation and response in the future."

The royal commission, which aims to hand down its findings before the start of the next bushfire season, will examine the response to the recent bushfires, as well as floods, cyclones and earthquakes.

Phase 1 of the inquiry will focus on the Federal Government’s role in disasters and whether it should have “clearer authority to act in the national interest.”

Subsequent hearings, slated to begin in late June, will look at co-ordination with state and local governments.

The royal commission will not “point fingers or apportion blame to any jurisdiction, government or individual,” today’s hearing was told. "Rather, we are focused on national co-ordination and on looking for lessons for the future."

Senior counsel Dominique Hogan-Doran says measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic have significantly impacted the work and planning of the royal commission.

“The logistics are proving demanding,” she said.

Royal commission members visited fire-affected communities across Australia in March to see first-hand the impact of the bushfire, speaking with small groups representing fire-affected communities to obtain “background and context”.

Those forums were suspended due to health advice limiting public gatherings.

Mr Binskin says the 2019-20 bushfire season was a “harrowing” experience which will “long linger in our national psyche” thanks to the “pervasive smoke haunting our towns and cities, the red skies turning black, the thunderous roar and thick smoke that accompanied the wall of flames, and the utter devastation”.