I welcome the Prime Minister’s move to establish the national Bushfire Recovery Agency, which will help coordinate the response to assist communities affected by bushfires across the country.
The agency will help ensure the families, farmers and business owners hit by this season’s devastating bushfires get the support they need as communities recover.
The Prime Minister today briefed me on the agency’s role to work closely with states to identify and implement support and recovery efforts to affected communities.
Our firefighters are continuing to work in extremely difficult conditions, and we are indebted to them for keeping our communities safe.
We are also doing our bit nationally, with a further contingent of 41 Tasmanian firefighters to depart from Launceston and Devonport tomorrow to assist in New South Wales.
The relatively cooler and calmer weather today has brought some relief to our firefighters, however until there is significant rain, Tasmanians are urged to remain vigilant and prepared on high risk days.
Our State is well resourced and the TFS continues to operate a rapid weight of response strategy with aircrafts in place ready to respond if required.
We urge all members of the community to stay updated by visiting the www.fire.tas.gov.au or to listen to ABC Local Radio for up-to-date information and to check the Parks and Wildlife website at www.parks.tas.gov.au for park and track closures.