Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

Thanks, Senator Green; I know that you have been taking a great interest in those fires happening across Queensland.

I'll start by again acknowledging the tragic deaths of three personnel in a plane crash while undertaking Queensland Fire and Emergency Services-tasked line-scanning over the weekend, as well as the two people who died in the fires in Queensland last week. I extend my condolences to all who are grieving these tragic losses. It's a stark and devastating reminder of the danger we are facing this summer. Today, we're seeing a reprieve in conditions across Queensland ahead of extreme fire danger in parts of the state for the rest of the week, with eight fires currently burning at an advice level.

The worst of the fire activity was around Tara, where more than 30,000 hectares has been burned. It's reported that numerous structures have been destroyed and damaged across the state; the full extent will only become known when damage assessments are completed. On Tuesday last week I travelled to Dalby to understand the full extent of the impact. While I was there I met with the mayor and deputy mayor, and received a briefing from local authorities. I also visited the evacuation centre and met with evacuees, as well as with representatives from housing support and a range of government and non-government services, who are doing a fantastic job of looking after people who have been displaced. We are in lockstep across all three levels of government in our support for these impacted communities.

The Albanese government quickly activated the Australian government disaster recovery payment and the disaster recovery allowance. That has been open for people who live and work in the Western Downs and Toowoomba local government areas. The AGDRP is a one-off payment of $1,000 per eligible adult and $400 per eligible child who have suffered a significant loss as a result of the fires, including a severely damaged or destroyed home or a serious injury. The disaster recovery allowance provides up to 13 weeks of federal income support to assist eligible employees or sole traders who experience a loss of income as a result of the disaster. (Time expired)