Emergency Management Minister David Littleproud has announced the bushfire recovery efforts will be "done at a local level", vowing to listen to communities as the operation begins.
"I don’t want it to be a Canberra-led recovery. I want it to be a local recovery. And that’s why enter rebuilding lives, it can’t be done from Canberra," he told reporters on Tuesday.
"There’ll be whole-of-government responses and programs, but we also want to empower the local community and normally through local governments."
Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg met with the Insurance Council of Australia and bank chief executives on
The head of the newly created disaster recovery agency, Andrew Colvin, the former AFP commissioner, acknowledged he had a mammoth task ahead of him.
The burnt out remains of a house is seen from a bushfire in the Southern Highlands town of Wingello. Source: AAP
"I’m working at the moment simply to get my head around the magnitude and breadth of areas affected," he said.
He said he will spending the coming days visiting fire-affected communities to better understand their needs.
"I don’t want to get in the way of response. I don’t want to get in the way of those people doing their jobs to save homes, lives and properties. But I need to hear from them.
"Prioritising where I go is a big part of what I’ll be doing in the next couple of days and, of course, as I said, I need to get into places like Queensland and northern New South Wales who are probably more ready to receive recovery assistance."
Restoring electricity and water supply in parts of fire-ravaged NSW and Victoria is an area of focus.
Mr Colvin said engineers are already assessing the damage to water infrastructure.
He said teams of ADF personnel are being organised to go into small towns to listen to the concerns of locals.
"In fact the ADF is looking to put small teams into some of the small towns that haven’t seen anybody.
"Get four or five in a car with a tent, pitch it up there and hopefully even be able to take some Department of Human Services people out there so that people know that they’re being listened to and Australia cares."
There have been 25 fatalities and more than 1600 homes lost this bushfire season, with victims pleading with Mr Morrison for more support on the ground.
The prime minister pledged on Monday a $2 billion relief package to be injected into a national bushfire recovery fund over the next two years.
Mr Morrison said the surplus was "no focus" of his and emphasised he'd meet whatever cost necessary to help Australians get "back on their feet".
"What I envisage is guaranteeing to the Australian people at this time of crisis that we will meet every cost that needs to be met," he said.
Mr Frydenberg said more than $25 million worth of relief payments have already been made.
