NSW bushfires: Tony Abbott says Canberra will pay half cost of rebuilding
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Version 0 of 1. Tony Abbott says Canberra will pick up half the costs of rebuilding in New South Wales after the devastating bushfire emergency – and has warned there could be further lives lost. Speaking after a briefing at the Winmalee fire station on Friday afternoon, the prime minister confirmed the standard disaster relief arrangements would apply in NSW, with Canberra “picking up at least 50% of the tab”. Additional resources will also be available to the community through Centrelink, including a call centre for people affected by the fires. The call centre number is 180 22 66. Payments of $1,000 for eligible adults and $400 for children will cover people in the Blue Mountains, Lithgow, Muswellbrook, Port Macquarie-Hastings, Port Stephens, Wyong and Wingecarribee. The prime minister said it was too early to estimate the scale and cost of the rebuilding task, and he warned Australians to expect a dangerous fire season. “It could be a long, hot, dry summer,” Abbott said. “Over the last three months most areas of NSW have had above-average temperatures and below-average rainfalls. It’s projected that over the next three months most parts of NSW will similarly have above-average temperatures and below-average rainfalls.” Abbott thanked employers for allowing the community to rally for the volunteer services over the past 48 hours and he praised the police effort. “We’ve had hundreds of police,” he said. “We've had hundreds of NSW fire brigade workers and we've had literally thousands of rural fire brigade volunteers and state emergency services volunteers out over the last 24 hours. “These are ordinary people who, on an extraordinary day, come together to support their community and to protect their fellow Australians. We are incredibly lucky to have them. We're also lucky to have supportive employers and supportive families who allow their loved ones to go out and do this kind of work when it’s needed.” Earlier on Friday, Abbott expressed sorrow at the death of a 63-year-old man at Lake Munmorah, who was trying to save his home. “There has already been loss of life. We fear more,” the prime minister said. Abbott’s comments were echoed by the opposition leader, Bill Shorten, who expressed sorrow about the death of the central coast man trying to defend his home. “Our thoughts are with him and his family,” he said. Shorten paid tribute to the authorities managing the bushfire emergency and its impact in NSW communities. He said the NSW police had a terrible task ahead. “I’d also like to acknowledge the selfless work of the fire services and also the terrible job that NSW police have to do now: visiting, ascertaining which houses are destroyed and indeed if there was anyone left in any of those houses,” Shorten said in Canberra on Friday. The fires are believed to have destroyed hundreds of homes, and emergency warnings remain in place in the Blue Mountains and the central coast. The Greens leader, Christine Milne, and her deputy, Adam Bandt, have drawn a link between the NSW bushfire emergency and climate change – prompting some controversy on social media and on talkback radio. Bandt stood by their words on Friday. “This is what global warming in Australia looks like. We need to draw the link between these events and global warming,” he told the ABC. He also defended his decision to criticise the Coalition’s climate change policies in the context of the NSW bushfires. “Tony Abbott is refusing to talk about the consequences of global warming,” Bandt said. Shorten refused to buy in to the issue. He said it was not a time for politics. “Today is a day about thousands of people trying to work out what it all means and are they OK,” the Labor leader said. Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |