00:02Natamak farmer Michael Sudoltz vividly remembers the fury of the 9th of January bushfire that
00:08destroyed his home. Within 10 minutes our house was gone. It was a pretty horrific day. Like
00:14dozens of others in Natamak, he's still waiting to rebuild. It really knocked the town around
00:20and it's going to take a long time to recover. Among its 80 recommendations, the report found
00:27better support was needed for those who lost property, suggesting the government prioritised
00:32the delivery of modular homes, help council to fast track building approvals and support emergency
00:39rate relief. The report highlighted the staffing and funding battle faced by the CFA as a major issue,
00:47finding volunteer levels were down 26% since 2016. More than 800 single cab tankers are yet to be
00:54phased out and that much of the CFA fleet is past its recommended service life.
01:00Oh, it can be a safety issue. Absolutely it can be a safety issue because they are ageing and they
01:05do
01:06break down. In areas like Harcourt where more than 50 homes were destroyed, the affordability of
01:12insurance was found to be a significant barrier to recovery. And that was causing huge problems to
01:18people from a financial point of view. And the psychiatric impact on people was just going to be
01:25ongoing for many, many months, maybe years. The committee was keen to note the time frame for
01:30this inquiry was short, but now it's been tabled, the government, whoever that might be come November,
01:36has six months to respond to its recommendations. It's nice to have a report with, you know, so thick,
01:43but it'd be even better if I connect on it.
