Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) | Hansard source

The member would be aware that dedicated funds were provided for the bushfire recovery program and resilience packages. That is more than $2 billion that was directly allocated to ensure that we could support those communities affected by the Black Summer bushfires. The measure that the member is referring to is a long-term measure which enables funds to be drawn down to support the resilience of communities over the long term. And that is what is supporting the initiatives which have been put in place by the National Recovery and Resilience Agency, established by our government, which is led by the Honorable Shane Stone, who has done an outstanding job, including in the member's electorate, which I'm sure she would acknowledge, in sitting down with communities and understanding the challenges they face as they rebuild.

More than $2 billion has been allocated—not pulled out of some other fund—to ensure that the urgency of those issues could be addressed directly. The rebuilding and resilience programs continue to be funded and implemented across the country. It is important that that work continues. It is important that longer-term work continues to build up the resilience of so many communities across Australia, recommendations that came from the royal commission that I announced into these very issues so we could look after long-term resilience and address the short-term needs. So more than $2 billion is hitting the ground—including the round of grants which have been provided into the member's community over the Christmas and New Year period; they were announced by the minister only recently—in addition to the many funds and grants that were put in place.

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