Barkly Region residents affected by the large bushfire which has burnt over 1.3 million hectares can apply for various assistance services, including emergency financial support, under a joint federal and NT government program.

Federal Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt said in a statement the Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements provide financial support for individuals and families, businesses, primary producers, non-profit organisations, and were available because the NT government declared an emergency situation for the entire Barkly local government area.

He said the bushfire began on September 4 and had burnt over 1.3 million hectares, making it one of the largest bushfires the Northern Territory had experienced in recent times.

On Friday Bushfires NT chief fire control officer Tony Fuller told the media an alert level for the fire – which was about 150km long, and has burnt through an area five times the size of the ACT – had been downgraded from ‘watch’ and ‘act to advice’.

Mr Watt said the assistance program included essential emergency needs, debris removal, personal and financial counselling, and assistance for primary producers through freight subsidies, counter-disaster operations, and restoration of essential public assets.

“I know that personnel and pastoralists on the ground have done an incredible amount of work in establishing containment lines to protect the township of Tennant Creek, and we hope this work will see this community spared from the worst of the fire activity,” Mr Watt said.

“We are in regular contact with the Fyles Government, and will continue to work with them as the community moves from the response phase into recovery.”

Mr Watt said firefighting crews, aerial water bombers and a citation aircraft for the survey, had been called in from South Australia and New South Wales to support NT response agencies.

And the Australian Defence Force had used earthmoving equipment to construct containment lines around Tennant Creek.

Information on disaster assistance can be found on the Federal Government’s Disaster Assist website.