Volunteer firefighters seeking compensation for income lost while fighting Australia's summer fires have started receiving payments, the ACT government has confirmed.
Emergency services minister Mick Gentleman said six of the eight ACT volunteers who had applied to access the scheme had now received payments.
The remaining two applications have been approved and the money would be paid out very shortly, Mr Gentleman said.
Mr Gentleman provided the update to the ACT Legislative Assembly late on Thursday after the Opposition peppered him with questions about the apparent delays in the roll out of the scheme.
The Liberals' attack came after it emerged late last month that ACT volunteers were still waiting for their payments, almost four months after the Barr government struck a deal with Prime Minister Scott Morrison to compensate firefighters for time spent away from work during Australia's black summer.
Under the scheme, volunteers who are self-employed or work for small to medium private businesses are eligible for up to $300 per day - up to a maximum of $6000 - provided they have spent at least 10 days on the fire ground during this financial year.
While the Commonwealth is funding the scheme, the states and territories are responsible for administering the payments.
Despite receiving nothing but positive feedback from you throughout this process, this has somehow turned into a negative media article.
Acting ACTRFS chief officer Rohan Scott
The ACT Volunteer Brigades Association criticised the territory government for taking so long to distribute the payments. The association's president, John-Paul Romano, also complained that the application system was too complex, arguing more volunteers would have applied had the process been simpler.
Asked last month to explain the apparent delay, Emergency Services Agency Deputy Commissioner Ray Johnson said it needed time to set up the online application system.
Mr Gentleman last week noted local volunteer brigades were still actively involved in fighting fires when the ACT government signed up to the scheme in early January. The territory's bushfire season only ended on March 31, he said.
Coverage of the concerns about the administration of the compensation scheme angered the ACT Rural Fire Service, contributing to the tension between the agency and volunteers.
Acting chief officer Rohan Scott, writing in an open letter to volunteers in the wake of damaging revelations about the Emergency Service Agency's handling of the bushfire season, said head office had endeavored to make it as easy as possible for members to access the compensation scheme.
"Despite receiving nothing but positive feedback from you throughout this process, this has somehow turned into a negative media article," he said in the letter.
"It is situations like this that wear down staff and the RFS membership base."
