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A new disaster prevention authority, rescue training for residents in flood-prone areas and a back office merger of emergency services will form part of the NSW government's response to this year's deadly floods.

Premier Dominic Perrottet released a report by former chief scientist Mary O'Kane and former police commissioner Mick Fuller in Lismore on Wednesday.

The government accepted the report's recommendations, which deal primarily with emergency response capability and management, data availability and land use planning.

The floods in the Northern Rivers and Hawkesbury-Nepean regions killed 13 people across the state in February and March.

Mr Perrottet said progress had been made in the six months since the devastating floods but there was still more to be done.

"The power of nature to swamp the beautiful Northern Rivers was devastating, and that will be matched by our commitment and dedication to rebuild and re-create our communities," he said on Wednesday.

"This is a long journey in front of us, and we need to make sure we rebuild in a resilient way, in a way that keeps the character and the charm of these wonderful communities."

The government will seek to establish a reconstruction authority by the end of the year, in line with a key recommendation from the report.

It will be the lead agency for disaster prevention and will look for long-term flood mitigation solutions as well as leading housing and infrastructure renewal in disaster-affected communities.

Resilience NSW will be reconfigured following severe criticism in the wake of the floods.

"We'll be reshaping Resilience NSW and transforming it into a leaner, nimble agency known as Recovery NSW that will focus on the first 100 days post event," Mr Perrottet said.

A partial merger of the State Emergency Service and much bigger Rural Fire Service is also one of the 335-page report's 28 recommendations.

The merger would leverage the size of the RFS and put it in charge of administration and planning.

Mr Fuller said the RFS has grown into a full-time organisation of "campaigners".

"We've seen what they've done through the bushfires, their ability to plan and use intelligence is well above even some of the other permanent agencies, to grow that in the SES would take years," he said.

The Public Service Association of NSW has already called on the government not to merge the pair, blaming past budget cuts for destabilising the agencies.

"Neither the RFS nor the SES have significant support staff resources as is. It's hard to see how merging their functions will improve matters," PSA NSW general secretary Stewart Little said.

The report also recommends consolidating various smartphone applications used by emergency services into a central NSW Disaster app and improving warnings and weather data.

A new deputy police commissioner will oversee the state emergency operations centre full-time, rather than it being a part-time responsibility of the commissioner.

A permanent cabinet committee will be created involving senior ministers and public servants ready to respond to major natural disasters.

NSW Opposition Leader Chris Minns supported the reshaping of Resilience NSW and funding for the SES and RFS.

He called on the federal government to provide financial support for a potential housing buyback program in Lismore, which was at the epicentre of this year's disaster.

"There's been a lot of warm words from political leaders of both political persuasions, now is the time to commit funds so that that community can get back on its feet," Mr Minns said.

The NSW government will release further information on the implementation of the report's 28 recommendations later this year.

© AAP 2022

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Hollywood stars Chris and Luke Hemsworth have thrown their money behind a Melbourne project to bring the extinct Tasmanian tiger back to life.

The University of Melbourne earlier this year launched a research lab to 'de-extinct' the thylacine, to give the marsupial its official name, following a $5 million philanthropic donation.

Its goal moved one step closer after the university on Wednesday partnered with US-based genetic engineering company Colossal Biosciences.

The partnership will allow the Melbourne research team to access more DNA editing technology and a group of world-leading scientists, research leader Dr Andrew Pask said.

The Hemsworths are among the investors backing the Melbourne project.

"Our family remains dedicated to supporting conservationist efforts around the world, and protecting Australia's biodiversity is a high priority," Thor star Chris Hemsworth said in a statement.

"The Tassie Tiger's extinction had a devastating effect on our ecosystem and we are thrilled to support the revolutionary conservation efforts that are being made by Dr Pask and the entire Colossal team."

The Melbourne research lab is looking to tailor reproductive technologies such as IVF to Australian marsupials, while Colossal will use its gene-editing technology to reproduce thylacine DNA.

"We can now take the giant leaps to conserve Australia's threatened marsupials and take on the grand challenge of de-extincting animals we had lost," Dr Pask said in a statement.

"A lot of the challenges with our efforts can be overcome by an army of scientists working on the same problems simultaneously, conducting and collaborating on the many experiments to accelerate discoveries.

"With this partnership, we will now have the army we need to make this happen."

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Striking nurses and midwives in Tasmania will mull a $2000 cash bonus offer from the state government amid heated wages negotiations.

Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) members have walked off the job at several of the state's major public hospitals in recent weeks in their battle for improved pay and conditions.

The state Liberal government on Tuesday night announced it had offered the one-off allowance to relevant Tasmanian Health Service and Ambulance Tasmania staff as part of an updated offer.

ANMF Tasmania secretary Emily Shepherd said the new offer would be put to members.

"The one-off bonus will replace the existing COVID-19 allowance agreement if members accept the offer, noting $2000 is higher than any payments already calculated under the agreement," she said in a statement.

Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the one-off payment would apply to about 9500 health service staff, and would be conditional on an end to industrial action.

Union members will hold a mass meeting at the North West Regional Hospital on Wednesday to consider the updated offer.

Labor MP David O'Byrne described the cash offer as a "cynical negotiation tactic".

"(It has been) announced weeks after nurses and midwives were forced to strike just to have the government listen to their concerns," he said.

The government's overall offer includes a return-to-work bonus of $2000 and a trial of clinical nurse coaches on public hospital wards to mentor and support inexperienced staff.

It has also offered to bring forward enterprise agreement negotiations due to begin in November.

Hundreds of union members walked off the job at the Launceston General Hospital and Royal Hobart Hospital in separate strikes this month while ambulance staff have flagged industrial action this week.

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Crossbenchers are leading the charge for parliamentary inquiries into the actions of former prime minister Scott Morrison, as colleagues demand his resignation.

Independent MP Sophie Scamps has called for the matter to be referred to parliament's privileges committee, which reports on complaints of breaches of privilege or contempt.

"Is it a precedent for future behaviour by future leaders who feel that they may want to have more power?" she asked on the ABC on Wednesday.

"Or will it be something that we regard as a misuse of power and privilege?"

Independent senator Jacqui Lambie wants the saga referred to the Senate's legal and constitutional affairs committee, saying it could recommend changes to legislation.

"If it's not illegal, there's not a lot the parliament can do. Unless they're going to change the rules on this, sending it to the privileges committee probably isn't the way to go," Senator Lambie told the ABC.

She said it was important to ensure Australia was not a "dictatorship".

The repercussions of the former prime minister appointing himself to the finance, treasury, health, home affairs and resources portfolios remain unknown, with the solicitor-general preparing advice for Anthony Albanese to be delivered on Monday.

Mr Morrison has apologised to his colleagues for having secretly sworn himself into their portfolios but launched a staunch defence of his actions, saying the COVID-19 pandemic required a unique response.

But constitutional lawyer Anne Twomey says legal systems were already in place, with acting ministers able to be appointed when a minister is sick or on leave.

"If he really thought there was some problem with the existing system, wouldn't you have created a new system?" she said on Sky News.

"It seems there's this presidential view of, 'Hey, I'm the leader, therefore I must have responsibility for everything'.

"That's a real denial of the actual system of government we've got. The prime minister, at most, is the first amongst equals."

Labor frontbencher Jason Clare told AAP the government will wait for advice from the solicitor-general before deciding how to prevent something similar happening in future, such as making it mandatory to gazette such appointments.

"We're open to reform," Mr Clare said.

"I expect cabinet will consider both the advice from the department and any advice we receive from the solicitor-general and then take further steps.

"It's something that never happened before and shouldn't happen again."

Mr Albanese said the actions of his predecessor followed a pattern of secrecy.

"Scott Morrison appointed himself to a cabinet committee of just one, so any meetings he had with other people he could say they were co-opted and keep it away from freedom of information," he told radio 4BC.

"Our democracy relies on people being open and transparent about what's going on (and) people being accountable and that's why this is such a shocking series of revelations."

Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley attacked the prime minister for not focusing on the cost of living and skills shortages.

"Australians want him to focus on the issues in their lives. Nothing in this is going to bring down your power bills," she told Sky News.

Former home affairs minister Karen Andrews has called on Mr Morrison to resign from parliament, saying he "let down and betrayed" the Australian people.

Her successor Clare O'Neil said intelligence chiefs were unaware of Mr Morrison's self-appointment to the important role.

© AAP 2022