The new Bushfire Building Council of Australia has begun operations, aiming to tackle an information gap among homeowners and help people make their properties more resilient.

The organisation, set up by Victorian businesswoman and campaigner Kate Cotter, will bring together new research and existing principles to help people understand complex rules.

Climate change is expected to lead to an increase in severe fire weather across Australia.

“The big risk is old housing stock in high-risk areas, and it is not being addressed,” Ms Cotter told insuranceNEWS.com.au. “You’ve got to be pretty clever to piece together the building code. How are people meant to bring all this information together?”

The council has recruited a panel of experts to generate design guides that will be sent to every bushfire-prone property in the country before the next fire season.

It aims for major improvements in the built environment, and for bushfire safety to become ingrained in the national consciousness.

The group is supported by emergency services and government bodies.

This includes the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Co-operative Research Centre, whose CEO Richard Thornton told insuranceNEWS.com.au the new organisation will add to the growing field of knowledge about construction choices in high-risk areas.

“A lot of new work is being done on how to build better in bushfire areas right around Australia, and much of our research is showing that communities are keen to get access to the latest and best advice,” he said.

“It is important to understand there is no such thing as a fireproof house, and you cannot lower your risk to zero.

“But there are certain choices builders and homeowners can make that can potentially reduce the risk and enable communities to prepare for, respond to and recover from a serious bushfire event.”

Ms Cotter previously campaigned on behalf of landowners prevented from building on bushfire-prone land.