Transcript: Doorstop interview - Parliament House, Canberra

Transcript: Doorstop interview - Parliament House, Canberra Main Image

Hi everyone, I’m Fiona Phillips, the Federal Member for Gilmore on the New South Wales south coast.  Look I just want to talk this morning about some people in my community. I’ve got a lady, Kim, and I’ve spoken about her before. She’s got asbestos in her roof and her house still hasn’t been cleaned up. The Prime Minister, Scott Morrison promised the bushfire clean-up would be free but he just as not delivered. Kim is waiting, she’s in temporary accommodation, she’s moved four times. We’re coming up to the 12 month anniversary of the bushfires and the lack of temporary accommodation is a real issue.


 
Another issue I have is the Shoalhaven Women’s Health Centre that provides mental health counselling for people impacted in our bushfire impacted areas around Ulladulla. All they need is $70,000 to continue this service but again the government will not fund that mental health service. I have written to the minister, I have tried absolutely everything. 
 
The Prime Minister says there’s $2 million of funds, but where is it? Where is it for the women of the Shoalhaven and the Shoalhaven Women’s Health Centre? Where is it for mental health counselling? You know we’ve got the Bushfire Royal Commission that went to the Governor General and the government yesterday but it’s not going to be released until Friday. We’ve got people that are living in temporary accommodation, they want to see that report released, so I urge the government to release that report early on Friday so that people can see what’s in that report. I’ve got bushfire victims, many people, that have completely lost their homes, they’ve lost their livelihoods, they’ve got children doing their HSC at the moment under the most torturous conditions, and all Scott Morrison can do is sit on that Bushfire Royal Commission report. Well it’s not good enough and people in my community want answers.