Our brave firefighters have been battling across the country and to show their appreciation, the nation’s telcos have stepped in to foot their bills.
Optus, Telstra and Vodafone have all announced that volunteer firefighters’ phone bills will be waived in December and January.
“When our communities are facing such difficult circumstances, we all seek to provide whatever support we can for our volunteer firefighters who are placing themselves in harm’s way to protect the lives and property of Australians,” said Optus Deputy CEO, Kelly Bayer-Rosmarin. “Waiving the bills of volunteer firefighters is our small way of saying thanks.”
Eligible firies need to be registered with the official volunteer fire service in their state and will need to contact their provider to redeem their discounts.
Telstra has also extended its assistance package to State Emergency Service volunteers and Farm Fighters that are directly supporting the bushfire efforts.
Telstra
Telstra is offering:
- Full coverage of registered Volunteer Firefighters, Farm Fighters and SES Volunteers’ phone bills for December and January
- Prepaid users will receive 10GB data and unlimited calls with a 30-day expiry period
- Assistance packages for those affected by the fires
- Free use of their complete payphone network and free use of the Telstra Air network
- Indefinite unmetered internet access to selected emergency response sites
Emergency Response Sites
State and Territory rural fire services for information about current fires and responses:
- New South Wales Rural Fire Service
- Victorian Country Fire Association
- South Australian Country Fire Service
- Tasmania Fire Service
- Australian Capital Territory Emergency Services Agency
- Queensland Rural Fire Service
- Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service
Government agencies for emergency response information
- New South Wales Emergency
- Victoria Emergency
- Western Australia Emergency
- Federal Government Disaster Assistance
Other critical information websites:
*Excludes ABC iview content and radio streaming
Contact Telstra on 13 22 03 to find out more.
Optus
Optus customers will be able to access;
- Waived bills for Volunteer Firefighters for December and January
- Various support options for customers facing hardships
- A dedicated hotline for expedited service for volunteers and those affected by the bushfires
You can call Optus' dedicated bushfire relief hotline on 1300 301 671.
Vodafone
Vodafone customers can expect:
- Free mobile usage in December and January for Volunteer Firefighters with an official volunteer ID number
Visit your local Vodafone store to redeem this package or call 1300 650 410.
Southern Phone
Southern Phone will be:
- Waiving all internet, broadband, mobile and home usage fees for 7000 fire-affected customers and volunteers in January
- Current bills and any accrued costs will be waived for customers who have experienced property loss
These credits will be provided automatically, but further help is available anyone experience financial hardship through their customer service line: 13 14 64.
NBN Co has also stepped up in this trying time to keep our communities connected by providing free Wi-Fi to 14 evacuation centres in NSW and Victoria. These contributions are a small price to pay, to help the 3000 volunteers putting their lives on the line to fight the blazes each day and the thousands of displaced Aussies across the country.
Anula Wiwatowska
Offsite Editorial Lead | Instagram
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