How you can donate and help with the NSW and Queensland bushfires

The scale and ferocity of bushfires sweeping NSW and Queensland is testing the resources of firefighters, charities, and animal rescue groups. Many have issued public pleas for financial help, warning of a worsening bushfire threat and a long road to recovery for affected communities. Most organisations are calling for financial donations – rather than donated goods – to help them best meet the varying needs of victims.

Here are the main groups working on the ground right now and accepting donations.

NSW Rural Fire Service

The NSW Rural Fire Service accepts direct financial contributions from the public. Local RFS brigades rely heavily on volunteers and contributions from their communities to sustain their efforts. You can use your credit card to donate to a local brigade, or to the RFS generally, via this link.

Donations can also be accepted via bank transfer or cheque/money order. Details of the RFS bank account and addresses for cheques and money orders can be found here.

The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army has launched a disaster appeal to help support evacuees and emergency services during the current crisis. Salvation Army teams are currently active at roughly a dozen evacuation centres where, among other things, they are providing meals to evacuees and firefighters. Relief teams are also providing food and water and emotional and practical support. The Salvation Army has warned recovery will be a long and difficult process.

“We know from experience many of those displaced by the fires are going to need us for many months or years ahead,” Salvation Army spokesman Major Bruce Harmer said. “We are committed to standing alongside these communities for as long as it takes to get them back on their feet.”

You can donate to the Salvation Army’s disaster appeal at this link.

The Australian Red Cross

The Australian Red Cross is supporting communities affected by bushfires across NSW, Queensland, and South Australia.

Red Cross volunteers are at evacuation centres providing psychological first aid and helping evacuees get in touch with families and friends. More than 60 Red Cross volunteers are supporting people at 16 evacuation centres across NSW. There are roughly 16 volunteers helping people at five evacuation centres in Queensland.

You can donate to the Red Cross at this link. You can also donate over the phone, via a mailed cheque or money order, or in person at Commonwealth Bank branches. Details can be found here.

The Red Cross also has a register allowing affected residents and their families to reunite.

The Red Cross has advised it is not currently seeking additional volunteers and does not accept donated goods.

The St Vincent de Paul Society

St Vincent de Paul has also launched a disaster appeal. Vinnies is on the ground helping victims in the immediate aftermath and will assist in longer-term recovery. It says public donations will help it provide food, clothing, essentials, and financial support to affected residents. It will also refer victims to other support and accomodation services, and provide them with emotional and practical support.

You can donate to their “always there appeal” here.

GoFundMe

There are a series of GoFundMe pages raising money online for affected communities and wildlife.

GoFundMe said, as of Tuesday morning, there were more than 215 separate pages raising money for bushfire victims. More than $250,000 has been raised in the last 72 hours. The company says it is “working around the clock” to vet and verify all bushfire-related pages to ensure donations get to intended recipients.

The Lions Clubs is raising money to support victims and firefighters on the Mid North Coast of NSW, the region worst affected by the bushfires. It has raised more than $17,000 already.

Cerene Lowe, a resident of Glen Innes, has begun a Wytaliba community relief fund to support locals and firefighters following the destructive bushfires that tore through the community in recent days, killing two people. It has has raised more $29,000 so far. A separate GoFundMe page has been created to help fund the funeral of one of the victims of the Wytaliba fires, Vivian Chaplin. It has raised $2,675.

Money is also being raised for a family in Bobin, NSW, who lost their 111 acre property during the devastation this week. That campaign has raised $14,000 so far.

Wildlife rescue and recovery

One of the more successful GoFundMe campaigns is one run by the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, which is helping to rescue koalas affected by the fires. The fires have caused huge damage to local koala populations. The hospital estimates as many as 350 koalas have died. It says about 75% of the fireground is in prime koala habitat. It is raising funds to purchase and distribute automatic drinking stations to reduce further death from dehydration. The campaign has received more than $150,000 in the past three days.

You can also donate to other wildlife rescue groups, like Koalas in Care (link here) and the Rescue Collective, which is collecting donations here. The Rescue Collective has issued a wishlist of goods it needs to help koalas and other wildlife in the wake of the bushfires, including various drop-off points.

Government assistance

The federal government offers disaster recovery payments and disaster recovery allowances to those affected by the bushfires. Victims can access 13 weeks of compensation for income loss directly related to the fires. They can also receive payments of roughly $1,000 for adults and $400 for children. The department of human services has published information, including the criteria for receiving the payments and allowances, here for NSW residents and here for Queensland residents.

The NSW government is also re-issuing birth, marriage and name change certificates for free if they were destroyed in the fires. It is offering concessions on car registration and licensing to those who have lost their vehicles or documents in the fires.