Disaster relief is on its way to workers caught up in the bushfire emergency in western Victoria. The prime minister announced income support payments while on a tour of the fire ground. Authorities say a fourth home has been lost as damage assessments and containment efforts continue.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00Tens of thousands of hectares of lush bushland reduced to cinders.
00:08The Prime Minister and Victorian Premier survey the remains and meet fire controllers who
00:13worked over Christmas to stop the fire's spread.
00:18This has been a devastating fire event here in the Grampians and it I think is particularly
00:25acutely felt because of the time of year it is.
00:29Ranging for nearly two weeks, the fire threatened several communities in and around the Grampians
00:34National Park before a cool change brought relief late on Boxing Day.
00:39Today Anthony Albanese promised help was on its way.
00:43From tomorrow, affected workers and sole traders will be able to apply for up to 13 weeks of
00:48income support payments.
00:50That'll help because we've got a massive loan, massive mortgage, especially on all these
00:55villas and everything.
00:56We've still got staff that we have to pay.
00:59It's the second time in a year fire has threatened Pep Atchison's business.
01:03Her cellar door and accommodation were evacuated in recent days.
01:07Like so many other business operators in this tourist destination, she'd been hoping for
01:12a busy summer.
01:14We're just asking all the people to, you know, re-book because at the moment refunding, we
01:19just don't have the funds to refund everyone back.
01:21So we're hoping that everyone can just, you know, re-book and come back and help support
01:26the region again.
01:27It's devastating to see the Grampians burn at any time, but particularly in peak summer
01:32season, which we know is the key period for people to come and visit this beautiful part
01:38of the state.
01:40Communities may be out of the fire's path for the time being, but residents are being
01:44warned to watch out for smoke as authorities continue to backburn as much as possible before
01:50the weather heats up again next week.