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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-02-06 Daily Xml
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Bushfire Recovery Support

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (15:42): I rise to speak about the response of many of our South Australian churches right across our state to the terrible bushfire crisis that we have experienced recently, which has affected the lives of far too many South Australians. As members have outlined in this place yesterday and through some contributions today, the devastation from those catastrophic fires, including the tragic loss of lives, livestock, wildlife and property, has been immense, and the recovery phase is only entering the very beginning stages.

In the midst of such tragic events, however, we are always fortunate to experience the best of humanity and, in this case, there is absolutely no exception. Church congregations—not only churches, but many community organisations, but I focus today on the churches—from many denominations across South Australia have been united together not only in prayer but also in offering both pastoral and practical support to assist victims, however and wherever appropriate.

The endeavours of these charges are far too numerous to mention in their entirety in this short contribution, but I will share a snapshot of what several have been undertaking. The Anglican Church has been supporting the bushfire recovery efforts in the Adelaide Hills through their Anglicare SA service, Thread Together, which distributes new clothes to those in need from two mobile wardrobe vans, supported by both paid staff and volunteers. This particular service is offered through the state government recovery team and has so far distributed clothes to 85 people affected by the Cudlee Creek fires.

The Catholic Church has assisted through the collection of money from parishioners, with funds being directed through St Vincent de Paul for distribution. It has also offered counselling through Centacare and provided for disaster and recovery ministries at recovery centres. I note that Father Philip Marshall visited a parish affected by the fires on Kangaroo Island to offer his personal support.

The denomination of the Churches of Christ operates a national disaster and relief fund through its Global Mission Partners, Extend, and has allocated emergency funds to people affected by the Cudlee Creek and Kangaroo Island fires, to which its congregations have been contributing. Its members are also working through the Church of Christ in Lenswood to deliver food and hardware vouchers to people affected by the Cudlee Creek fire, and its CareWorks service is helping to coordinate volunteers to assist in rebuilding fences and irrigation services and provide food hampers and home-cooked meals, along with offering pastoral care and counselling.

The Salvation Army is, of course, also making a significant contribution to the recovery effort. The Salvation Army Emergency Services have fed emergency personnel during all of the bushfires. On Kangaroo Island alone, over 14,000 meals were prepared and served. Further, it is supporting victims of the bushfires with immediate emergency disaster assistance payments for victims throughout all of the fire sites in South Australia, either by physical attendance at community centres or via telephone. At this stage, it has issued over $250,000 dollars to people in need, which is a remarkable effort.

The Uniting Church's Disaster and Recovery Ministries SA is an ecumenical and increasingly multifaith network of volunteer chaplains. Coordinated by the Uniting Church, the ministry operates under a memorandum of understanding with the South Australian government as part of the State Emergency Management Plan. While many other services and groups focus on taking care of people's physical and emotional needs, its chaplaincy program primarily seeks to support their spiritual needs. Local Uniting Church facilities have also been used as respite and recovery spaces, where meals, emergency clothing and other supplies are provided.

I am proud to say that Influencers Church, of which I am a regular attendee, has raised over $240,000, with its generous contribution being donated to both St Vincent de Paul and BlazeAid. Dozens of families from our church in the Adelaide Hills campus were also actively involved in the efforts of cleaning up their local community, and volunteers are still on stand-by to offer further help as required.

These acts of services and donations, when combined together, make an incredibly significant contribution to the rebuilding of fire-ravaged communities. I wish to take this opportunity to commend the tremendous efforts of churches across South Australia for their valuable role in rebuilding our fire-ravaged communities.

Obviously, I have only touched on the very tip of what the churches are doing at the moment to help assist those affected by the fires, but this very comprehensive effort right across all denominations is noteworthy and deserving of recognition. It is something that they often do without ever asking for thanks—literally thousands and thousands of volunteers—which I think is most admirable.

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