Give funds to needy, GetUp told

A community leader in the fire-ravaged NSW town of Taree has called on GetUp to give the money it raises to his volunteer organisation.

NSW Fire and Rescue battling a blaze south of Taree on Tuesday. Picture: Jane Dempster

A community leader in the fire-ravaged NSW town of Taree has called on GetUp to give the money it raises campaigning against Scott Morrison’s climate change policies to his volunteer organisation that is helping bushfire victims.

Lions Club of Taree president George Greaves labelled GetUp “dickheads” for using the bushfire crisis to raise money in its campaign against the government’s plan to crack down on climate protesters. Mr Greaves said GetUp should give all the funds it raised during the fires to help his efforts distributing food, produce and clothing to farmers who had lost property in the catastrophe.

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The group’s fund, MidCoast Bush Fire Relief, has raised more than $27,000 and has a target of $100,000. Funds raised will also be used to help drought-hit farmers.

“If they did something worthwhile, it would be a bloody miracle, but all they do is create angst in the community,” Mr Greaves said.

GetUp ­director Paul Oosting sent emails at the weekend asking for $12 donations towards “a fighting fund to defeat Scott Morrison’s authoritarian climate crackdown”.

Mr Greaves said GetUp’s fundraising campaigning was opportunistic. ­“People out here are busting their arse, particularly firefighters,” he said.

On Tuesday, GetUp tweeted that its members had helped to raise more than $8100 for frontline volunteers and relief services and was raising more for the Red Cross and NSW Rural Fire Service.

A GetUp spokeswoman said the group would be in touch with Lions Club to “see how we can help”.

“Since Monday we’ve put out three seperate fundraising appeals to support both volunteer firefighters and the Australian Red Cross,” the spokeswoman said.

“We assume tens of thousands has been donated from an email that went out to to more than half a million people with a direct for the RFS, plus more than $8000 from Facebook and $4000 raised for the RFS and Australian Red Cross at a street appeal in Sydney yesterday.

“Like with the Queensland floods where GetUp members raised $300,000for Lifeline we’ll see what our members can do here too, and will be in touch with the Lions Club to see how we can help.”