Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Watt for his question and his obvious ongoing interest in the bushfire affected areas of Australia. I am going to have to take on notice the specific question that he has asked me because I do not have the necessary information in relation to the three per cent number that he is quoting. However, while I have the opportunity to add something in relation to the government's response to the bushfire affected communities in Australia, we recognise that it has been a very, very traumatic time for those people that have been affected by bushfires because, on top of that, they have had to endure the coronavirus pandemic impacts that all Australians and all Australian communities have had to endure as well.

I would like to assure all bushfire affected communities that they have not been forgotten. I acknowledge that the recovery in many areas has been hampered by the COVID pandemic, but the government is focused on addressing bushfire relief and recovery needs with flexibility and speed, and that is why the Prime Minister himself announced, on 11 May this year, a further $650 million in assistance in addition to the $2 billion bushfire recovery fund, which, I might say, has already been fully committed. A billion dollars of this fund has already been delivered and is working to support the locally led effort in response to the bushfire impacts on the ground in these communities, including in my home state of South Australia, particularly in the Adelaide Hills and the Kangaroo Island area that were devastated by the two fires that took hold in South Australia over the Christmas and new year period. When you add that to the expenditure from existing measures, this means that around $1.4 billion is rolling out across our bushfire affected communities and supporting individuals within those communities.