Bushfires: Major relief announcements coming from Scott Morrison

Scott Morrison will announce support to small businesses, tourist operators and immediate financial support to fire-affected communities.

Scott Morrison says payments to those impacted by the bushfire disaster had reached more than $50 million. Picture: News Regional Media

Scott Morrison is preparing to announce major bushfire recovery announcements over the weekend as he pledged to support small businesses, tourist operators and deliver immediate financial support to fire-affected communities.

The Prime Minister, who attended the funeral of volunteer firefighter Sam McPaul on Friday, held a bushfire relief and recovery efforts peak body roundtable on Friday afternoon where he flagged more support.

“I can tell you already, $300 million of that $500 million that was committed for this financial year has already been committed,” Mr Morrison said.

“And on further announcements about the decisions we’ve been taking around the Cabinet table over the course of these last few days which will add further to that.”

A government brochure seen at the Bushfire Relief and Recovery Efforts Peak Body Roundtable at Parliament House on Friday. Picture: AAP

Mr Morrison said payments to those impacted by the bushfire disaster had reached more than $50 million with 310 firefighters moving on to simplified payment arrangements.

The peak bodies round table included representatives from industry, business, local government, building, charities, disability, science, environmental and property groups.

Education Minister Dan Tehan had earlier announced additional mental health support would be provided to children at day care centres and schools in bushfire-declared communities, with special consideration given to students accessing university scholarships.

Mr Tehan said the government would also offer extra funding for school chaplains to be made available for state governments on request and exempt families of more than 90,000 children in bushfire communities who incur a Child Care Subsidy activity test debt.

Students from bushfire impacted communities will also be given “special consideration to their circumstances if they apply for one of more than 1,000 scholarships through the $58.1 million Rural and Regional Enterprise Scholarships program”.

Government Services Minister Stuart Robert also pushed back against claims made by Anthony Albanese that he had snubbed Eden-Monaro MP Mike Kelly on a visit to the NSW south coast this week.

Mr Robert, who travelled to Bega, Merimbula and Eden this week in the Eden-Monaro electorate, told The Australian he had directly contacted Dr Kelly the day before to invite him along.

Mr Albanese said he was “disturbed” that Mr Robert, also the National Disability Insurance Scheme Minister, was travelling through the region without Labor MPs.

“I do believe that we need to make sure that that support is not done in a political way,” Mr Albanese said.

“I have been disturbed that Stuart Robert, the minister who is responsible for rolling out much of that support through government services, attended the area covered by Mike Kelly in Eden-Monaro and Fiona Phillips in Gilmore who happen to be Labor members but took a Liberal Party senator, newly reappointed, Jim Molan, rather than conducting himself in an appropriate way by going with the local MPs.”

Mr Robert’s spokesman said Mr Albanese should avoid trying to score “political points” and described the claim as an “outright lie”.