One year on from the Bushfire Royal Commission
The 30 October 2021, marked the one-year anniversary of the tabling in Parliament of the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements Report.
Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience, Bridget Mckenzie said, “Recovery from these unprecedented events will take years. We are committed to the long-term recovery of impacted communities and we have put in place a suite of initiatives to make that happen.”
Of the $2.8 billion the Government committed to the recovery from the Black Summer bushfires, $2.5 billion has been delivered so far. This financial assistance is so desperately needed in the immediate aftermath, as well as for the medium and longer-term.
Some examples of the projects that have been funded in partnership with states and territories include:
• Repairing and replacing damaged infrastructure in the Shoalhaven, to provide energy and telecommunication security
• Providing mobile firefighting equipment
• Supporting economic recovery with projects like the modernisation of the Tumut timber mill
• The upgrade of community facilities in 32 towns across East Gippsland, such as public halls and recreation reserve buildings
• Funding towards a collaborative package of projects that will support rural landholders recover and build back better on Kangaroo Island and across the Adelaide Hills and Mt Barker
• A project that will support the environmental recovery of Washpool Creek, including revegetation to improve water quality and the planting of up to 20,000 trees.
She added that further successful projects under the $280m Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grants Program will be announced by the end of the year. Applications from the 110 most impacted Local Government Areas and Alpine Regions received under this program indicate that there are still significant unmet recovery needs in these communities – and the Government continues to stand side-by-side with them.
The establishment of the National Recovery and Resilience Agency – a key recommendation of the Royal Commission – has resulted in Recovery Support Officers on the ground within affected communities right around the country, identifying local needs and ensuring a coordinated and holistic approach to recovery.
These officers work with, and alongside, local government, charities, community groups, industry groups, and the insurance sector.
We are identifying opportunities for investment in disaster risk reduction and resilience initiatives to better prepare communities for future disasters, such as $600 million for the Preparing Australia Program to improve the long-term resilience of Australian communities.
Mckenzie said, “Recognising the toll that disasters take on our brave and invaluable emergency service workers, we have committed approximately $4.5 million for the development of a national mental health network and national action plan to support them.”
She acknowledged that we can never completely disaster-proof our country, but that we can be better prepared, “We have achieved a lot and we know there’s more to do and the Government will continue to work collaboratively with the states and territories to continue to progress recommendations to ensure national resilience and future preparedness.”