WA mining billionaire Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest has announced he will spend $70 million on a bushfire recovery package for fire-affected communities on Australia's east-coast.

Key points: The donation includes $20 million for immediate recovery and support

The donation includes $20 million for immediate recovery and support $50m was pledged to help create a national plan to mitigate bushfire threats

$50m was pledged to help create a national plan to mitigate bushfire threats It comes after a wave of donations from celebrities and businesses worldwide

Through his Minderoo Foundation, Mr Forrest said he would provide $10 million to build a volunteer army of more than 1,200 people drawn from the mining and agriculture sectors to deploy to fire zones to assist in the rebuild of devastated communities.

Another $10 million would be spent in communities who need support in collaboration with the Australian Red Cross and the Salvation Army.

A further $50 million will be spent on a "national blueprint" for fire and disaster resilience to develop new approaches to mitigate the threat of bushfires, with a focus on climate change.

Andrew Forrest announces a $70 million donation for bushfire relief and recovery. ( ABC News: Keane Bourke )

Mr Forrest said his team of first responders was ready to be deployed to communities in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

"We are putting together a small army of 1,250 skilled personnel from first-aid, emergency first responders, tradespeople, electricians, carpenters, project managers, construction and clean-up personnel," he said.

He said a bushfire recovery fund would be established to assist communities over the next two years and the public would also be able to donate to it.

"Communities when they're plagued by that much grief think automatically about just getting back what they've just lost. Unfortunately that is impossible," he said.

"[This fund] is to help you not rebuild to perhaps what you had, but to plan for what could be even better."

Mr Forrest flagged contributing more money to the recovery effort later down the track if needed.

"This is not a zero-sum game, this is a disaster and my family will react to the scale of the disaster," he said.

Hope to raise $500m worldwide

Mr Forrest said the goal was to raise $500 million through a global campaign to establish a long-term bushfire research project.

"[We can't] make Australia fire-proof, we'll never achieve that," he said.

"Fires and disasters will be part of our lives. But [this] is to be able to mitigate them to be able to respond to them immediately and prevent the loss of life."

He said while arson had been suspected in some of the fires, he was "unequivocal" in his belief that the bushfires were primarily linked to climate change.

"I accept that the warming of our planet is a primary cause of the catastrophic events we have been experiencing," he said.

"Arson may be responsible for starting fires in some cases, but it is not the reason the fires have reached the proportions they have through this season and it is not the reason they have continued for so long."

Mr Forrest said his support could assist with setting up temporary accommodation, as he had organised in the 2009 Black Saturday fires.

"If a community needs a village on a football oval then, as we've done in the past, we'll make that happen for them," he said.

Mr Forrest's donation joins a growing list of contributions from high profile figures in Australia and around the globe.

The Paul Ramsay Foundation is one of a few philanthropic foundations that has so far to contributed to the donations tally, pledging $3 million to the Red Cross, the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal and St Vincent de Paul, with a further $27 million to be put to long-term rebuilding efforts.

Australian comedian Celeste Barber's social media campaign, which was one of the first set up in the wake of the bushfires, has now raised more than $47 million.

Crown and the Packer family and NAB have each pledged $5 million, Coles has donated $4 million and the AFL has offered $2.5 million.

Celebrities quick to offer support

Celebrities have been quick to open their wallets, with reality TV star Kylie Jenner announcing she would donate $1 million to five organisations across Australia.

Ms Jenner, 22, gave a total of $1 million to five organisations in Australia. ( Reuters: Carlo Allegri )

On Tuesday, actor Chris Hemsworth also pledged $1 million, which was matched that evening by Elton John as he closed his Sydney show.

Pink, Kylie Minogue's family, and Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban have each said they would donate $500,000 to the cause.

On Wednesday, Metallica also announced they would be contributing $750,000 to the NSW Rural Fire Service and the Country Fire Authority in Victoria.

Dozens of sports stars have also joined the cause, including tennis world number one Ash Barty and Big Bash cricket star Chris Lynn.

Barty has said all her winnings in Brisbane will go to the bushfire appeal. ( AP: Michael Owens )

Barty promised to donate her prize money from this week's Brisbane International, joining Nick Kyrgios who said he would donate $200 for every ace he hits this summer.

Batsmen Lynn and Glenn Maxwell have both pledged $250 to the Red Cross Bushfire Appeal for every six they hit, while bowlers Peter Siddle, Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson have all said they would donate $200 for every wicket they take during this year's Big Bash League season.

Forrest's history of philanthropy

The Minderoo Foundation was established by Mr Forrest in 2001, two years before he founded Fortescue Metals Group, which has become a major third player in Australia's iron ore mining industry behind established mining giants BHP and Rio Tinto.

Since then Minderoo has garnered a reputation as one of Australia's biggest philanthropic entities.

In 2017, prime minister Malcolm Turnbull described a $400 million donation from the foundation as Australia's "biggest single philanthropic gift".

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 5 minutes 6 seconds 5 m Andrew Forrest to donate $400m

The donation was split between six different causes, including $75 million to cancer research and ending modern slavery.

In 2013 Mr Forrest pledged $65 million to higher education in WA, including a $50 million scholarship foundation for WA's five universities.

WA Premier Mark McGowan described Mr Forrest's donation as an extraordinary act of generosity.

"It has been a traumatic and awful period and I share all West Australians' thoughts with the people directly impacted by this bushfire tragedy," he said.

"I think there have been many thousands of West Australians who have contributed to the various appeals that are out there to assist people in this time of trouble and I'd like to thank all of those West Australians who have done so."