Victorians need to stop being complacent and take notice of risk factors associated with their homes and businesses, according to an expert panel on natural disasters.

Speaking at the Victorian Managed Insurance Authority Risk Conference in Melbourne, members of the panel said while insurance plays a big role in communities being able to bounce back from catastrophic events such as the Black Saturday bushfires, individuals need to also take responsibility for their own risk.

Kevin Hennessy, Principal Research Scientist with the CSIRO/Bureau of Meteorology-operated Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research, says there has been a “redistribution” of weather and the trend is toward warmer conditions and increases in extreme rainfall in combination with extreme drought.

Geoscience Australia Risk and Impact Analysis Group member Mark Edwards warned Victoria is not immune from earthquakes.

He says while it would take at least a magnitude 6 earthquake to cause any major damage in the state, there is evidence that they can occur every 75-100 years – “and there are a number of fault lines that would support an even larger event such as a magnitude 7 earthquake”.

The panel members agreed the biggest challenge in natural disaster risks is getting communities, governments, business and the insurance industry working together to mitigate exposures.

Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Stephen Fontana told the conference people need to know the risks within their own area.

“We often move into new areas and don’t even know what the risks of the area are,” he said. “We might think our house could be broken into, but don’t think we’ll be hit by a natural disaster.”

Mr Fontana says more needs to be done by all stakeholders, including the insurance industry, to promote an increased level of awareness of community risks.

RMIT University Centre for Risk and Community Safety Director John Handmer expressed concern at the number of development approvals for housing in areas prone to flood or bushfire.

“We are putting ourselves at risk, and I don’t think planning systems in Australia have ever really been concerned about stopping development,” he said. “The fact that there are hazards in these areas seem to be left to emergency services and engineers to rectify after the fact.”