Kristy McBain (Eden-Monaro, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Bendigo for her question. As she knows and as many people across the House and the country know, it's been a terrible start for many communities across Victoria. We've seen bushfires across the state, most recently across the greater Otways. I was in Colac last week, where I attended the Incident Control Centre to understand the impacts of the Carlisle River blaze. I spent time in Castlemaine, Yarck, Alexandra, Euroa, Ruffy and Harcourt over the past few weeks, meeting with emergency services, local councils, businesses and, most importantly, community members. I'd like to thank the member for Indi and the member for Nicholls, who were on the ground with me to hear directly from locals about the best way that we can aid in their recovery.

Residents in Ruffy told us that they were worried about the local environment, including the impact on waterways, despite losing their own homes. I met with both Strathbogie and Murrindindi shire councils in their council chambers, who reiterated the importance of building back better after a natural disaster.

Through our Commonwealth-state disaster recovery funding arrangements, we've now committed over $330 million in response to the Victorian bushfires. This includes $158 million, which the Prime Minister announced at the state control centre last week. This latest funding package includes funding for clean-up, business support and advice; funding to rebuild the Harcourt cooperative cool store that I visited with the Prime Minister and the member for Bendigo; repairs to public land and waterways; temporary accommodation; power outage payments for businesses; rebates to repair water tanks; and mental health support. This expanded funding package is about delivering practical and respectful support that helps communities begin to rebuild with confidence.

On top of that, we've got federal government payments available, including the disaster recovery payment, available to eligible residents in 57 locations. It's a one-off payment to support community members who have been most affected in this disaster. The disaster recovery allowance is income support up to 13 weeks, which is now available in 23 local government areas as well as the Lake Mountain Alpine Resort.

I want Victorians to know this: we stand with you and we'll continue to support you. I give a big thankyou and a shout-out to the thousands of workers and volunteers from all over Australia, as well as New Zealand and Canada, who have been supporting firefighting efforts in Victoria. Of course, we're not out of the high-risk weather season yet; heatwave conditions may have eased, but conditions can turn really quickly. Please listen to local authorities, follow the advice of our emergency services and continue to look out for family, friends and neighbours who may be doing it tough. As a nation, we have learned a lot since the Black Summer bushfires. We know that the three levels of government have to work collaboratively together for the benefit of our local communities, and we'll continue to do that.

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