Hon KIERAN McANULTY: I've recently made visits to 22 rural and provincial councils and will have met with all 55 by early October. A consistent message I've been hearing is that emergency resilience is top of mind for rural communities, particularly in the face of increasingly frequent severe weather events. Mayors and councillors have emphasised how much they value the strong working relationship they have with NEMA and with their locally-based teams. It is important to note that when emergencies occur the Government is quick to respond through support to the mayoral relief fund. This supports communities with rapid access to funding for their immediate needs. And we continue to monitor, even after the weather event passes, so that we can be aware of the full extent of the impact on communities. It is critical that we continue to build up NEMA's capability to support people and communities through these emergencies.