New Recovery Agency to support bushfire victims

A national bushfire recovery agency has been set up to provide a range of support measures including for mental health.

NSW Rural Fire fighters establish a backburn in Mangrove Mountain, New South Wales, Sunday, December 8, 2019. Source: AAP

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday announced the immediate start of the National Bushfire Recovery Agency, which will work with state authorities and defence efforts.

He says the agency will model its operations closely on the successful response provided to the North Queensland floods and will be headed by former federal police chief Andrew Colvin.

Mr Morrison says the scale of the disaster the agency will be dealing with is enormous.