Late last week as the areas experiencing bushfires continued to grow, the Prime Minister contacted me to hear more and offered to visit and provide support.

Over the weekend Prime Minister Scott Morrison visited Wauchope and Taree to meet with fire and emergency service authorities to get an accurate picture of the situation.

The Prime Minister visited the Emergency Control Centre in Wauchope and then inspected fire activity along the way to Taree where we visited locals that were at the Emergency Evacuation Centre at Club Taree.

During his visit, the Prime Minister was also accompanied by the NSW Premier and announced further support from the Commonwealth government.

The PM announced there is immediate financial support for those hit by the New South Wales bushfires.

The Disaster Recovery Payment will provide $1000 for eligible adults and $400 for eligible children.

And for those who have lost their income as a direct result of the bushfires, the Commonwealth government will provide those eligible up to 13 weeks income support via the Disaster Recovery Allowance.

Payments are available now and eligibility can be checked at humanservices.gov.au/disaster or by calling 1802266.

Finally can I take this opportunity to thank, on behalf of our community, the hundreds of local and interstate volunteer firefighters battling the fires across our region.

Our communities are grateful for your efforts.