Shame, Brumby, Shame!
At long last it appears that the bushfire threat to Victoria is over. Most, if not all, of the state has received rain in the last 24 hours, a welcome relief for our exhausted fire fighters. As of the news last night, all four remaining fires are now contained. People who had evacuated their homes have been told it is now safe to return, and interstate and international fire fighters are being sent home. It seems that all that is left is the blacking out operation, which could last for several weeks. We praise God for the end of what has been an horrific chapter in our state’s history.
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The figures are horrendous. The death toll stands at 210, with around 36 people still unaccounted for. Over 2000 homes have been lost, and over 7000 people left homeless. Beginning with the Boolarra fires the week before Black Saturday, the crisis has stretched over 5 weeks, and stretched both the resources of the fire services and the emotional capacity of the people to the limit.
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On a positive note, people have done what Aussies always do in such situations: they have dug deep into their pockets and poured an overwhelming amount of money into the Bushfire Relief Appeal. There have been stories even of those who were themselves suffering losses as a result of the floods in northern Queensland donating their own relief money to help the bushfire victims. This kind of generosity is one of the best aspects of the Aussie character, and one which I am sure, when this nation finally turns to God, that He will pick up and refine and use greatly for His glory and the benefit of mankind.
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That said, the Victorian government obviously does not share that generous spirit. Also on the television news last night was the story of the temporary accommodation which the state government is making available to fire victims who have lost their homes. Brumby and his cohorts have decided that this should not be provided freely: rather, they are going to CHARGE RENT for this accommodation.
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A government representative interviewed for the story brushed it aside, saying that it would only be a nominal amount to cover maintenance. Yes, $100 per week may be a small amount compared to what one would pay for a normal 3 bedroom house. But what is being provided is not a normal 3 bedroom house, it is temporary housing. Furthermore, whilst $100 might be nothing to someone receiving the wages of a state government minister, to an average person who has lost everything, and probably still has to meet mortgage payments even though not having a house to live in, it is a lot.
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Mr Brumby, this is an absolute disgrace! What more can I say? Shame, shame, shame, shame, shame!
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This blog is © copyright Lynn Fowler.
There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5Â For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
English: World English Bible - WEB
9Â For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
English: World English Bible - WEB
9Â Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name;
10Â that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth,
11Â and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.)
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