Bushfire-affected people in New South Wales and Queensland will be eligible for additional financial assistance to help them get back on their feet.
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The Disaster Recovery Allowance was activated as Prime Minister Scott Morrison toured devastated communities in southeast Queensland.
Mr Morrison viewed homes hit by fires at Binna Burra in the Lamington National Park and visited emergency service crews at Canungra, west of the Gold Coast.
"It's quite uncommon for rainforest to burn as the firies here were telling me," Mr Morrison said.
"We are dealing with challenging conditions and it is very dry."
He said natural disasters brought out the best in Australians.
"You walk into a community that's been devastated by flood and fire what I notice is the people," Mr Morrison said.
"I see great sadness and indomitable spirit.
"The charred remains of building or the mud soaked carpets of people's homes. But what I see are the people."
The disaster allowance gives people directly affected by fires up to 13 weeks of support payments equivalent to the maximum rate of the Newstart Allowance.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says her government will stump up emergency funds to cover $2.4 million worth of water infrastructure in bone dry and bushfire-ravaged Stanthorpe.
Crops and homes in and around the Granite Belt town, which is forecast to run out of water by December, were destroyed by bushfire.
The QLD government will also spend $800,000 a month to cart 34 truckloads of water from Connolly Dam to Storm King Dam each day.
In NSW, the disaster allowance has been activated in the local government areas of Armidale, Bellingen, Clarence Valley, Glen Innes, Inverell, Tenterfield, Uralla and Walcha.
In Queensland, it has been activated in the local government areas of Noosa, Scenic Rim, Southern Downs and Sunshine Coast.
Fires continue to burn across Queensland.
Australian Associated Press
