Australia news live: Allan says claims CFA funding has been cut are ‘just wrong’; more than 350 structures lost in Victoria bushfires

Emergency assistance payments of up to $52,250 made available to eligible uninsured households to re-establish their principal place of residence. Follow the latest updates liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastVictoria premier returns to Bendigo home after evacuating during firesThe Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has posted a video on social media returning to her home in Bendigo, after she was among thousands forced to evacuate on Friday evening due to bushfires.You can see here that the fire is still in the landscape across Mount Alexander, and just on the other side of that ridge line is the beautiful community of Harcourt. It’s where the kids went to kinder.A lot of homes that have been lost, there’s going to be a big rebuild ahead. It’s heartbreaking. Like, I’m standing here in my back yard, right? Fire’s really close. My home’s still standing and my family is safe. To get a warning to be told that it is too dangerous to stay in your own home, that you must leave, and you must leave now, it’s gut-wrenching. It’s sickening. Every time I think of this, I also think of the woman I met at the relief centre in Seymour, where she showed me on her phone the photo of her house that has been destroyed in the fires around Longwood. My heart breaks for her and everyone else who’s lost their homes.There are plenty of tough, strong people out there, not just on the fire ground, but their backup crews at the staging area, in the incident control centres, in the relief centres. We got the best of Victoria on display, the stories I’ve heard, the generosity, the support, the friendship, that is really the best of us. Continue reading...