Southern Phone and AGL have announced a $100,000 donation which will assist communities and animal welfare organisations impacted by the bushfire crisis on the NSW South Coast and Gippsland region of Victoria.

AGL CEO, Brett Redman made the announcement with Southern Phone CEO, David Joss in Moruya.

Mr Redman said it was heartbreaking to be on the ground and see how widespread the impact of the bushfires has been.

“AGL and Southern Phone are committed to doing what we can to help as communities across the South East of Australia rebuild after the devastating fires,” Mr Redman said.

“Today we are announcing a forty thousand donation which will go to the Eurobodalla Disaster Relief Fund.

“Thirty thousand dollars will also be donated to the South Coast branch of WIRES, from Milton to Cobargo, which has been inundated with injured wildlife and desperately needs money for feed and transport.

“This has been a devastating time for residents on the South Coast, which is home to the majority of the Southern Phone team and many customers.

“The devastation has been widespread from families, to businesses, to wildlife and the environment. And we have wanted to move quickly to help the areas in need of vital support,” Mr Redman said.

Southern Phone CEO, David Joss, said another thirty thousand will go to the RSPCA’s Bushfire Appeal to support animal welfare around the Gippsland region in Victoria.

“We have heard from the community that volunteers working with injured animals are desperate for assistance and we are more than happy to provide it,” Mr Joss said.

“We hope this money provides relief to the communities, wildlife and animals who need it most.

“The advice from authorities is that the fire threat is far from over this summer and we will continue to provide help to support our local communities and our customers,” Mr Joss said.

“This donation is addition to the more than $3 million AGL and Southern Phone has already committed to helping customers, firefighters and SES volunteers,” Mr Redman said.

WIRES Vice Chair Mid-South Coast Branch NSW, Shane O’Keefe said the donation would support a range of important causes.

“Thank you to Southern Phone and AGL for this critical support. It now means that we can purchase feed for the growing numbers of traumatised wildlife in our care and begin to nurture them back to health.”

Earlier this month, AGL today announced it would help thousands of volunteer firefighters by providing them with a $150 credit per customer on their electricity or gas bills.

And Southern Phone announced it would be waiving all internet, broadband, mobile and home phone usage fees and charges for January for our fire-affected customers, firefighters and SES volunteers.

The measure applies to more than 7,000 customers across all states in Australia, of which there are more than 1300 on the South Coast. In addition, Southern Phone is waiving current bills, including accrued or outstanding costs, for customers who have experienced property damage.

About AGL

Proudly Australian for more than 180 years, AGL operates the largest electricity portfolio in the National Electricity Market made up of traditional coal and gas-fired generation, wind, hydro and solar. We also operate gas storage and production assets. Supplying energy to 3.7 million customer accounts, we’re committed to making energy, alongside other essential services, simple, fair and transparent for our customers. We’re also focussed on developing flexible supply, building on our history as Australia’s leading private investor in renewable energy, to support the transition to a new energy system. We have a passionate belief in progress and a relentless determination to make things better for our communities, customers, the Australian economy and our planet.

About Southern Phone

Now a subsidiary of AGL, Southern Phone is a leading regional provider of fixed line, mobile and internet services to around 100,000 customers around the nation. The company is based in Moruya (NSW) and employs more than 135 staff.