Bushfire-hit workers and sole traders can apply for 13 weeks of income support after the prime minister visited the Grampians, where a massive blaze has destroyed at least three homes.
Cooler conditions have brought some relief to fire crews battling the inferno, but it could be weeks until the fire is fully extinguished given its size and the challenging mountainous terrain.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and federal Emergency Management Minister Jenny McAllister at the Horsham incident control centre on Sunday.Credit: Nine News
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the activation of the disaster recovery allowance would help communities get back on their feet.
“This has been a devastating fire event here in the Grampians that is particularly acutely felt because of the time of year,” Albanese said while visiting Horsham, in western Victoria, on Sunday.
“We live in a country which has harsh conditions. It’s always had fires, it’s always had these extreme weather events. But the truth is they’re becoming more frequent and more intense.”
The payments, available from Monday afternoon, are for workers and sole traders directly impacted by the fire who have experienced loss of income in the following local government areas: the Rural City of Ararat, Shire of Macedon Ranges, Shire of Northern Grampians and Shire of Southern Grampians.
Smoke billows from the Grampians National Park.Credit: AP
Grampians Wimmera Mallee Tourism chief executive Marc Sleeman said the fires were devastating for businesses in western Victoria.
“A lot of businesses at this time of year generate 30 per cent of their income,” he said. “And [the fires] are going to go on for weeks and weeks.
“People’s livelihoods are at stake here. Families have also been put off over Christmas from their employer. They’re going to have to start looking for other jobs because we don’t know how long it’s going to take to reopen the Grampians National Park.”
Sleeman said there had been some close calls but, at this stage, no tourism businesses had been destroyed.
“The CFA and Forest Fire Management were able to save a couple of key businesses – two that came under direct threat.”
The disaster allowance has been made available alongside other support, including state and federal hardship payments as well as disaster assistance from councils.
While Sleeman thanked the prime minister for the latest round of payments, he said locals needed more from state and federal governments given the region had been hit by devastating bushfires twice in 12 months.
“We saw a 20 per cent decline in visitor spend in the six months to June as a result of the February fires. We’re going to need some long-term strategies to get our visitor economy back on its feet.”
Albanese, McAllister and Premier Jacinta Allan thanked emergency services.Credit: Nine News
As well as the three homes confirmed lost in Moyston, nearly a dozen outbuildings have been destroyed around the Grampians National Park and Macedon Ranges by the fire, which has so far scorched more than 76,000 hectares.
Premier Jacinta Allan said the number of damaged homes could rise as crews continued to assess the area.
“Part of the challenge with this Grampians fire is that it’s still burning … so where the crews can, they are in there undertaking rapid impact assessments to get a sense of property loss. So that number may go up,” she said.
She expressed her support for farmers who had lost livestock, fences and other infrastructure, as well as tourism operators who would otherwise be welcoming visitors for the summer holidays.
She encouraged Victorians to remain alert to changing conditions and advice, warning the fire was still a threat.
“There’s a something like a 384-kilometre perimeter around this Grampians fire and on any given day, if the wind goes the wrong way, that can be an ignition point out of that perimeter,” Allan said.
“We’ve got plenty more hot days ahead of us, so that’s why crews are in there while the weather is a little bit more benign to do everything they can to suppress the most dangerous parts of the fire.”
State Control Centre spokesman James Taylor said mild weather had given crews the chance to strengthen containment lines.
“Crews will continue to black out the fire with help from machinery and aircraft today,” he said on Sunday.
The entire eastern side of the Grampians, including the towns of Halls Gap, Pomonal and Moyston, are still subject to a “watch and act” message.
With AAP
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