Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I had a breakfast meeting with a range of portfolio staff—mostly staff from Centrelink—while I was in Victoria late last week. I expressed to them the government’s gratitude and appreciation for their hard work and dedication. Centrelink customer services advisers and social workers from around Australia have been on the ground from the very start in communities devastated by the fires. Centrelink has been operating around the clock, offering financial and emotional support to those hit hardest by these fires—on the phones, in the relief centres and through other customer access points. Whilst in Victoria I also had the opportunity of meeting with my state counterpart, Minister Lisa Neville, to ensure Centrelink continues to liaise closely with state and local authorities to provide support in relief and recovery centres and community service hubs. While the focus of this question— (Time expired)