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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-10-13 Daily Xml
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South Australian Bushfire Appeal

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (15:00): My question is to the Minister for Human Services regarding the South Australian Bushfire Appeal. Can the minister please update the council about how the Marshall Liberal government has continued to support the bushfire-affected communities of the Adelaide Hills and Kangaroo Island through the distribution of the South Australian Bushfire Appeal Fund?

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (15:00): I thank the honourable member for her question. In light of the tragic fires that we experienced in South Australia, particularly at Cudlee Creek and Kangaroo Island, which is where the funding for the bushfire appeal has been distributed, we are really pleased that the funding has all been completely finalised as of, I understand, last Wednesday. Every last dollar of the $9 million has been distributed to families, businesses and communities that have been impacted by the fires.

Affected is a total of 1,062 families, individuals and businesses. There was a range of categories early on. Funding was provided to families of people who had died as a result of the fire. We also had a category for people who were seriously injured, people who had had their principal place of residence destroyed, and we had the largest category, in terms of the number of grantees, for infrastructure damage, which might have included sheds, machinery, cars and the like. Small business and primary producers also had a round.

Registered apiarists: we discovered that quite a number of people who had been keeping bees were impacted. They had a round. And then there was a round of a series of top-ups, in particular to those who lost their principal place of residence and/or suffered infrastructure damage.

It was a great experience on the weekend to catch up with the Webb family of Kenton Valley, who had received $23,000 through this program. What they reported was that, because the grants had been provided in a range of rounds, as they were able to assess their particular situation they were able to use those funds in ways that they might not have anticipated at the start of the process and as they were processing grief and were into that planning phase for their family. So that has obviously been quite a good process for everyone.

There has also been a range of community organisations that have shared in the community strength and resilience initiatives. We had two rounds of those, and those organisations include sporting organisations, some support for mental health projects, arts, gardening, and a range of things, which I think really do boost the wellbeing of those communities in knowing that they have not been forgotten, and that other people have been assisting them through that financial support.

We are grateful for every individual who has donated—businesses, sporting clubs, even Elton John was a donor through one of his concerts, and a range of other celebrities have donated. So we are very, very grateful. I also thank the committee for their hard work. I know they have been challenged at times to work out what was the most appropriate and equitable way to get funding out on the ground. I think they have done a fantastic job, as have all the staff in the recovery centres who have been working with people to assist them with their applications. So, yes, I think we can all stand proudly as a state for the support that has been provided to these communities.

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