The Business Council of Australia is to be commended for its focus on long-term disaster assistance and preparedness.

BCA’s Community Building Initiative, supported by The Australian Financial Review, will focus on co-ordinating disaster support from the business community such as providing employment opportunities for volunteers and victims who have lost work as a result of the disasters, additional services for communities, reconstruction support and financial relief. And it will set up an Australian Volunteer Support Trust to be a permanent and ongoing fund to support the children of volunteers who have died fighting these fires and in future disasters.