Rowan Ramsey (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question today is to the Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management. The question to the minister is: will he outline how the Morrison government is supporting individuals and communities through their recovery from the 'black summer' bushfires, including mental health support measures for the first responders who were on the front line?

David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

While, rightfully the nation's attention has been on COVID-19 and our response, the government's focus has continued to be on those communities and those individuals that have been impacted by the 'black summer' fires this year. Our initial support and relief to those people now totals nearly $240 million—that was $1,000 per adult, and we doubled it from $400 to $800 per child—to give people the dignity and respect they needed straight after this event and to let them breathe and get some space and understanding of what had just happened to them.

We made an initial commitment of $2 billion in a relief and recovery fund, and we estimated that we'd spend around $500 million of that by 30 June this year. I'm pleased to advise the House that in fact we have spent, as of today, $530 million of that. It's come out of our pocket and been put into the pockets of those who need it most. Our new estimate is that we will expend $1 billion of that $2 billion by 30 June, putting it into the pockets of those people and communities that need it to help them recover. That's an important aspect of making sure that we expedite this and rebuild the lives of those people who have been touched by this.

Our local economic recovery plans will start in the next three to four weeks. We said that this should be not a Canberra-led recovery but a locally led recovery, and we'll be empowering those communities to rebuild themselves in the way that they want and to rebuild themselves better. That's what government should do: get out of their lives as best it can.

As part of that $2 billion, we've committed $100 million into mental health, to a mental health program for those that have been impacted. But also today—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is a serious issue. With all due respect, this is about mental health and the wellbeing of those people that went through the trauma of one of our worst fire events. I find it abhorrent that you would sit here and interject during this answer, absolutely abhorrent.

Today we carved out $11½ million for those first responders, those brave men and women who aren't sitting here, who are actually out there fighting the fires and actually trying to protect our lives and to protect the homes of Australians who were facing one of the worst natural disasters we have seen. So it's important we understand that their unique recovery, their healing, is separate. We're saying to them that we're going to empower Black Dog Institute of Australia and Fordham Australia—a great organisation that has currency with our first responders, those men and women who put their lives on the line for us. We're going to look at how we help them heal and make sure we work with the states to put in place a better PTSD recovery model for all first-responders across this country. We should be damned proud of these Australians, ordinary Australians who did extraordinary things for our nation. We should never forget what they've done.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On that note, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper. And on a Prime Minister's and father's indulgence, many of us in this place have missed many birthdays of our children. That is one of the things that we all deeply regret. On this occasion it is my daughter Lily's 11th birthday. I just want to say: happy birthday, Lily!