Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Northern Australia) Share this | Hansard source

Unfortunately, this motion is just another example of the shameless spin and marketing that we've come to expect from a government that has left bushfire victims behind. We all know that the government's bushfire recovery efforts have been lousy. Just ask the 96 per cent of people in bushfire-hit regions who haven't received help or the two-thirds of bushfire victims in New South Wales who are still waiting for the debris on their properties to be cleared. This government continues to overpromise and underdeliver on the bushfires. Just a quarter of the notional $2 billion fund has got out the door, six months after the bushfires—just one quarter. The Liberals' and Nationals' response to bushfire recovery has been slow, it's been inconsistent and it's been confusing for thousands of Australians who just want to get on with their lives in the land they love. It says so much about the Morrison government, and particularly the National Party, that, instead of getting on with the job and actually helping bushfire victims, they just move self-indulgent motions to give themselves a pat on the back. It's a disgrace, and they should actually help bushfire victims instead of just doing more marketing. (Time expired)