Andrew Ruddock left behind his terminally ill wife to battle blazes across Queensland and New South Wales, but says he and hundreds of other volunteers are ineligible for compensation under a new federal scheme.

Key points: The payments are for volunteers who are self employed or from small to medium businesses

The payments are for volunteers who are self employed or from small to medium businesses Volunteer Andrew Ruddock says the scheme is "political grandstanding"

Volunteer Andrew Ruddock says the scheme is "political grandstanding" A Federal Government spokesperson says most volunteers do not ask for payment

Since compensation was announced late last month, only 29 volunteer firefighters out of more than 33,000 Rural Fire Service Queensland (RFSQ) volunteers have applied.

In NSW, a Customer Service Department spokesperson said 923 people had pre-registered their interest in the payment.

Mr Ruddock, who lives in Far North Queensland, said he was "disappointed" by the scheme's "restrictive" eligibility criteria, which exclude pensioners and people employed by large businesses.

He said being a full-time carer for his wife, who has an inoperable brain tumour, made him ineligible for the scheme.

"When I do go away on deployment I have to get my friends to look in on her and some of my relatives to keep in contact with her," he said.

"It's not so much about the money — I am a pensioner and I'm not losing any money — but the principle is we do go down and we fight the fires.

"It is good to see [the Federal Government] has come up with something to help us, but it's just not enough."

Mr Ruddock said many people were under the impression volunteers were "getting paid" for their service during the nation's catastrophic bushfire season, but that was not the case.

"I think it's just political grandstanding," he said.

"A lot of the rural fire members are pensioners, and also quite a few unemployed people — and they're excluded from any payment by the Government."

Mr Ruddock (with the hose) says many people think rural firefighters are paid. ( Supplied: Andrew Ruddock )

In a press release announcing the package, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the scheme was "not about paying volunteers".

"It is about sustaining our volunteer efforts by protecting them from financial loss," Mr Morrison said at the time.

"It's targeted and is the result of a direct request and consultation with the NSW RFS and NSW Government."

A Federal Government spokesman said the vast majority of volunteers did not ask to be paid for what they did.

"We thank those volunteers who have not lost income — for example, those who are retired, or who volunteer their weekends — for their selfless service, but this payment is intended to assist their more vulnerable colleagues," the spokesman said.

How much can be claimed?

State governments are responsible for assessing eligibility and administering the reimbursement of volunteers.

The payments of up to $300 a day per person — up to $6,000 in total — are tax free and not means tested.

They are available to volunteers who are either self-employed or work for small and medium-sized businesses and have been on the ground or providing direct operational response to bushfires for more than 10 days in total.

Mr Ruddock is a pensioner and carer and is ineligible for the compensation. ( ABC News: Marian Faa )

Rural Fire Brigades Association Queensland representative Gary Patzwald said many of the state's volunteers had a "remote chance" of being able to claim compensation under the scheme.

"It was well intended but poorly thought out," he said.

"Who is going to get it, how is it going to be administered, who is going to be offended by not getting it?"

But Mr Patzwald also pointed out RFSQ volunteers did not expect payment for their service.

"If you're getting paid you're not a volunteer, end of story," he said.

Cost of response 'enormous'

Cairns and Cape RFSQ area director John Lindsay said he would like to see all firefighters paid for their service, but there was a limit to how much could be spent.

"Maybe they deserve the money," he said.

"But there has to be some checks and balances, and there has to be some control over the money.

"The Government just cannot give away billions of dollars without some sort of management."

The bushfire response across the country has cost millions of dollars. ( Supplied: Andrew Ruddock )

Mr Lindsay said the bushfire response across Australia was costing millions.

"You've got transport, you've got accommodation, you've got food. Helicopters are worth anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 an hour," he said.

"The money that is being poured into fighting these fires is phenomenal."

Federal Natural Disaster and Emergency Management Minister David Littleproud urged large businesses to support employees who took time off work to fight fires.

"Big business benefits more than most of us from the hard work of our volunteer firefighters and I urge them to support their staff who are part of volunteer services," he said.

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the compensation package was "not up to scratch" and called for the eligibility criteria to be changed.

"Frankly I think this needs to be fixed," she said.

"These types of restrictions and the way the system seems to be working flies in the face of the good spirit that it was interpreted by many Australians.

"There's been heartbreaking stories of volunteer firefighters having to pay for equipment themselves, putting their credit card down at the local Bunnings to have to get new equipment.

"It is just unthinkable that Australia is in the midst of this climate fire crisis and we've got people volunteering their time, spending their own money, and the Government is wanting a pat on the back.

"Really, the Government has got to do much more."

Senator Hanson-Young said the stipulation that RFS volunteers would only be compensated from their 11th day in the field was "frankly ridiculous and not in the spirit of how it was reported and how it was promoted by the Government".

"Ten days on the fireground is an awfully long time, enough for them to have their life at risk many times over — so the 10 days is just not workable, so that needs to change," she said.

She said it was unfair volunteers who performed "non-emergency" labour such as fire hazard reduction and equipment maintenance were also excluded from the scheme.