Aussie bushfire update

[AccadaccA]

Well most fires are now contained or doused thanks to a couple of weeks of constant rain and the valiant efforts of fire fighters.

As expected many regions are now flooded but nothing they haven't had to deal with before.
Some of the drought stricken regions have had slight relief but not all areas.

Now for the really bad news.
Millions of dollars pledged hasn't been received but what makes things worse is the legal tie that prevents the Royal Fire Service to donate or distribute funds to the fire victims.
Apparently, by law, all funds received by the RFS has to be spent on fire fighting equipment and training and NOT on families or charities.
"As it stands the RFS is the beneficiary. We can't donate money people gave us to other charities".

Australian comedian, Celeste Barber raised over 52 million that now sits in limbo. The RFS want to honor her wishes by donating it all to those who lost their homes, etc but can't.
Now they have hired lawyers to get this passed.

The Red Cross appeal has been under scrutiny about millions unaccounted for from it's funds received while the Salvation Army have been completely transparent from the start. They have released statements showing all details of pledges, funds received and where it's been distributed to.

On a side note.
I often wonder about celebrity pledges. Are they publicity stunts to gain popularity that are never followed through? Are they even real pledges made by the celebrity and not falsely made by someone else?
The source of these alleged pledges should be thoroughly investigated before spread by social media.