Second submission to the inquiry into Lessons to be learned in relation to the Australian bushfire season 2019-20

The St Vincent de Paul Society National Council’s second submission provides further information on its processes for distributing emergency relief, including its three-tiered emergency response.

The Society recommends that improvements could be made with respect to: 

• giving more notice on when Recovery Centres were being established 
• including Vinnies on the Recovery Centres’ state website 
• providing more assistance with fence replacement – this was limited to BlazeAid and they were either stretched or not available in some locations, making it difficult to run properties 
• reducing the paperwork required of small businesses 
• reducing the time taken to complete and finalise insurance claims 
• providing information that would help people decide whether to rebuild
• increasing the amount of and access to emergency accommodation 
• accessing telecommunications systems in isolated communities 
• supporting and funding the delivery of ongoing mental health and trauma support, and 
• tailoring assistance for the elderly and/or those with health issues. 

Read the submission - pdf file