A new national disaster management agency will be created to help Australians in their “darkest hours”.

Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt announced the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) will come into effect from Thursday, and lead the country’s response to natural disasters.

“The new NEMA will transform the way the federal government supports the Australian people in their darkest hours and help communities respond and rebuild,” he told reporters in Canberra.

“It’s about preparing, building resilience, responding and recovering.

“Our view is … that is going to work in a much more coordinated manner, if all of those functions sit under one roof with one set of leadership.”

The body will be created following a merger of Emergency Management Australia and the National Recovery and Resilience Agency.

Senator Watt said disasters cost Australia $38 billion a year, with that bill set to soar to $73 billion a year by 2060.

While the government was doing what it could to be prepared for disasters, Australians also needed to take steps to ensure their safety, he said.

Senator Watt said the government was undertaking a recruitment process to identify a new head for the agency with an announcement to be made soon.

– AAP