To take you live to the Victorian Premier, Jacinta Allan. Member colleagues, the member for Bendigo West, Marie Edwards, and the federal member for Bendigo, Lisa Chesters. We're really proud local representatives of this great community, and we're really pleased to have the Prime Minister here today in Bendigo, getting briefed at the Incident Control Centre, and then shortly we'll also be traveling to the Harcourt community. Thank you, Prime Minister, for prioritizing Victoria and the Harcourt community that has been so badly affected by the fires. I'll come to the fire activity in a moment that continues to be in the landscape across Victoria. I'd also like to acknowledge ministerial colleagues Vicky Ward and federal minister Christy McBain, and thank their work on working together on the package that the Prime Minister and I will shortly be announcing of initial support. I'd also like to acknowledge, and we'll hear shortly from Tim Wiebusch, the Emergency Management Commissioner. Tim will provide the greater detail on the active fires, the 32 active fires that are continuing across the state today. Also, I'd like to acknowledge Mick Masters, the Incident Control Centre controller here at the Bendigo ICC, and thank Mick and the teams that we've just met with who have worked around the clock since we've had this difficult fire in the landscape here in Central Victoria emerge on Friday afternoon. Also on that front, I'd like to acknowledge Toby Hayden, the Mayor of Mount Alexander, which represents that strong and beautiful community of Harcourt. And then finally, we have Brett Hosking here who's the President of the VFF. I want to thank Brett and the VFF for working closely with our teams in AVIC because we have not just seen impact on property and structures as a result of these fires across the state. There's also been impact to so many of our primary producing areas, loss of fences, livestock impacts, and primary producing impacts as well. So firstly, in terms of the situation here this morning in Victoria, as I said, we continue to have 32 active fires across the state, around 10 but particularly of concern are the 10 major fire grounds that are continuing to have enormous resources deployed to managing those fires. These 10 major fires. To give you a sense of the ongoing danger that is presented by these fires, there are currently 15 emergency warnings that have been issued in terms of advising people to leave their local communities. And then there's a further 17 watch and act notifications that are underway right now. If at the outset I can again ask Victorians, if you are told to leave by the emergency services, if you are told to leave, do so because we know that is not only the best way to protect and save lives. It also supports the work of our emergency services who are out there on the ground as well. I do want to thank Victorians who we know have been following that advice. Given the scale of the fires that are in the landscape today, we need Victorians to continue to follow that advice. Stay tuned to local radio, be close, keep your VicEmergency app close to get the latest updates of information because that is the best way to be able to protect yourselves and support the work of our firefighters. From across a number of the fires, there has been a focus on containment, and we're seeing that around the work at Natte Yallock, here at Harcourt. To give you a sense of the enormous work that's been done in just a 24-hour period, the Harcourt fire ground is around 80% contained, which is a remarkable effort given this time yesterday it was a very hot and active fire. So it gives you a sense of the huge resources that are being deployed on the fires right across the state. But we do have ongoing concerns around the fires in the north northeast. The Longwood fire and the Walwa Mount Lawson fire continue to be very large and difficult fires. Those parts of the state are experiencing warmer, windy conditions again today. So again, please stay tuned to your local conditions because those fires continue to present great challenges in the northeast. And then also two in East Gippsland. There are major fires underway there as well. But also of concern overnight has been the significance of the fires in the Otways. Two fires in the Otways, Cape Otway and at Mount Carlisle, that have come as a result of changed weather and dry lightning that has created these new fires in the southwest of the state, and huge resources are being deployed. On that matter of resources, we again have thousands of firefighters on the ground, 70 plus aircraft working on these fires, working around the clock to get these fires under control. We've already seen 350,000 hectares of the state burnt out. That number will increase as we continue to see these fires continue. So we will see fires continue for some time across the state. Again, that is why we are not through the worst of this by a long way. There are fires that are continuing right now that are threatening homes and property. I ask Victorians to please stay mindful of local conditions. Also, if roads are closed, if you are being advised not to go into certain areas, it's because it is not safe to do so. So I also ask people, if you don't need to travel into these areas, if you are not a local resident, please obey the rules and do not go into areas because it's simply not safe to do so. The teams are working incredibly hard to get road access reopened where it's safe to do so and are working with those local communities. For everyone else, please let these communities work through their local challenges and please do not enter into these areas. We have the state of disaster powers to enforce these requirements and the movement of people around these dangerous fire areas. I want to thank the Prime Minister for not just being here today. It's really important to have the Prime Minister briefed on the fire situation here in Victoria, but also for working with us on the initial package that the Prime Minister and I are announcing today. It's a package of $19.5 million of immediate support. I make that point that this is for immediate support. The package has been shaped by what we've been hearing on the ground over the last couple of days, and it's why it focuses on the personal hardship payments, emergency accommodation, and also support for livestock as well. The Prime Minister will announce the further details, but thank you, PM, for providing this support. I do also make the point that as we consider the recovery journey ahead, I say very clearly to the affected communities, we will continue to stand with you and support you on the recovery journey ahead. It's going to be a long one, particularly for those communities that have lost a lot of property, so we will continue to support you on the journey ahead. Today's announcement is in response to what we've been hearing is the immediate relief and response need that is required from governments right now. As I hand over to the Prime Minister, I mentioned earlier where we'll be going into the Harcourt community later on today. The Harcourt community has been so badly affected. It's a small community, a beautiful community. It's known for its apple growing, its beautiful produce, its beautiful landscape that's just been ravaged by these terrible fires. So for Marie and for Lisa and I, we stand as local members to support our local communities. My kids went to kinder in Harcourt, so I feel a real deep attachment to this beautiful community, and it is a representation of communities across the state that are doing it tough. I want to thank Victorians who have given just so generously already, support, and thank them for every way that communities have come together to support one another. But it is another opportunity to remind everyone that today is another difficult day for fire in the landscape in many parts of Victoria. It continues to be warm, it continues to be windy, and there are already existing fires, which is why today is a day of total fire ban across the state. So please do continue to follow the advice, follow the warnings, support our emergency services. That's the best way you can support them because we know it supports them and also saves lives. I'll now hand over to the Prime Minister. Thank you.
