The Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements published its interim observations this afternoon, warning that bushfire behaviour “has become more extreme and less predictable”.

The observations are in advance of the royal commission’s final report due by October 28, and do not constitute draft recommendations.

Today’s statement says the bushfires caused more than $2 billion in insured losses alone.

“The economic impact on tourism, hospitality, agriculture and forestry has been estimated to be around $3.6 billion.

“There may have been a further $2 billion in health costs, arising, in part, from respiratory illnesses caused by the smoke. These figures are likely to underestimate the true cost of the bushfires.”

The royal commission says “catastrophic fire conditions “may become more common, rendering traditional bushfire prediction models and firefighting techniques less effective”.

It says all Australians must take steps to prepare themselves and their families for natural disasters.

“It is for this reason that preparation for, response to, and recovery from, natural disasters has been called a 'shared responsibility' – shared between individuals, private enterprise, not-for-profit organisations, and all levels of government.

“Providing clear and compelling information about the risks people face is one important way in which governments can help individuals protect themselves and their families.

“We have heard impressive accounts of the diligence and hard work of people preparing well in advance for disasters, and benefiting from their efforts.

“Others have not been well prepared, and some in the recent bushfires thought they were prepared but were soon surprised and overwhelmed by the severity of the bushfires.”

Click here to read the observations in full.