The City of Cockburn will donate $15,000 from its Emergency Relief Fund to help devastated communities in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia as they deal with the aftermath of destructive and ongoing fires.
Mayor Logan Howlett has said the Council will make donations of $5,000 each to bushfire appeals overseen and approved by the Victorian, New South Wales and South Australian state governments.
He said Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia had each declared a state of emergency, a criteria enabling the Council to make emergency donations to other Australian jurisdictions.
Acting CEO Stuart Downing said under the conditions of the City’s Emergency Relief Fund, a Delegate Officer in consultation with the Mayor, could award a donation of up to $15,000 to relevant relief funds without the need to ratify the donation at a Council meeting.
Mayor Howlett said the Council was also investigating how it could assist with recovery efforts in the Stirling Ranges in the state’s Great Southern.
“At times like these, we all want to help our neighbours, near and far,” Mayor Howlett said.
“It’s hard to really understand the devastation being experienced by these communities, but we have an Emergency Relief Fund for times like these when every little bit helps people to rebuild, because that’s what we must do despite the sadness and destruction.
“In these warmer climates, we are all at risk of bushfire and I encourage all families and communities to talk about it often and make a plan to be prepared for the reality of fire, so that they can survive.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with all these communities as they endure what can only be described as catastrophic fires and the recovery process to get themselves back to a semblance of normality.”
The Council will donate to the following bush fire appeals:
Victoria
New South Wales
Kangaroo Island, South Australia
For information on how to prepare for bushfire, visit the safety information pages at the Department of Fire and Emergency Services
website.