The Paul Ramsay Foundation has set aside $30 million to support communities affected by the bushfires.

‘We are in this together,’ said Paul Ramsay Foundation CEO Glyn Davis in a statement posted on Twitter. ‘The Foundation is acutely aware that it is those already vulnerable to entrenched disadvantaged who will be hardest hit by the consequences of the current bushfires.’

Leading climate scientists, including Stefan Rahmstorf of the Potsdam institute have described the wildfires as ‘clear examples of the way climate change can intensify natural disasters.’

An initial commitment $3 million will be provided to the Red Cross, the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal, and St Vincent de Paul Society to support immediate relief efforts, while the remaining funds will be allocated for longer-term work with disadvantaged communities.

The foundation stated that it will ‘consult extensively with local communities, government and NGO peers to ensure these funds are most effectively allocated to rebuild our regional communities.’