Raff Ciccone (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I want to express my gratitude to our remarkable volunteer firefighters and crews who continue to be on high alert in western Victoria. At the worst of times, we always see the best of the Australian spirit, and that's exactly what we're seeing in my home state of Victoria—and in other parts of our country, I should also add, such as with the floods in northern Queensland at the moment. Around 1,000 firefighters and volunteers, including over 100 from interstate, are working around the clock to control these fires at the Grampians and Little Desert national parks, following the recent heatwave. It's been a very challenging bushfire season for western Victoria, with dry lightning strikes causing the initial Grampians bushfire in December last year.

The Albanese government, together with the Victorian state government, has moved very quickly to activate financial assistance to those who have unfortunately been disrupted and are in need of government support. The disaster recovery allowance provides up to 13 weeks of income support for workers and sole traders who have experienced loss of income. This allowance is so important because the fires have impacted the livelihoods of workers, including many tourism operators, during what would have been a very busy peak season. Although the situation is ongoing, I give a heartfelt thanks to our volunteer firefighters, who do the job without fanfare or fuss to protect our communities. I know everyone in this place is very appreciative of their efforts on the front line for this bushfire season. Thank you once again to all our volunteers.