Media release: Speed up bushfire clean up to support coronavirus stimulus

Media release: Speed up bushfire clean up to support coronavirus stimulus Main Image

The Morrison Government must make debris clean-up in bushfire affected communities a priority by supporting local contractors and boosting the local workforce, so towns can begin to rebuild.

This week on the 7.30 Report (Tuesday, 14 April), it was revealed that, months after the devastating 2019-20 bushfire season, only ten per cent of the debris has been cleared.

Over three thousand homes were lost during the bushfires. At this rate, it will take two and a half years for all debris to be cleared, and for bushfire affected communities to begin rebuilding.

For these communities, the economic impact of the bushfire season has been compounded by coronavirus. Many see coronavirus as part of a “triple blow”, after months of bushfires and years of crippling drought.

While thousands of workers have been stood down in bushfire affected regions because of coronavirus, debris clearing and fencing has been described as a “COVID safe” activity, able to implement social distancing measures and keep workers safe.

With a young workforce available and a lot of work to be done, it makes sense for the Government to speed up bushfire recovery work as a stimulus for regions which have suffered major hits to their local economies lately.

With so many local jobs lost due to the fires and now coronavirus, Member for Gilmore Fiona Phillips said ensuring local contractors are used as much as possible will also be essential to local recovery efforts.

“Every day, I hear from more and more people who feel like the government has forgotten what they went through in the fires. We need to make sure that the clean-up happens quickly to help those impacted heal, and to help keep local people in local jobs,” Fiona Phillips said.

The Government must ensure that state primary contractors, and the local contractors they employ, are able to pick up the pace for debris clean-up by building a workforce from workers impacted by coronavirus restrictions.

Debris continues to serve as a reminder of the loss these towns have suffered, and it is important for it to be cleared away as quickly as possible.

The Morrison Government must act to support bushfire affected towns and make sure they’re not forgotten.