Forestry industry assistance, community health, habitat regeneration and telecommunications resilience are given specific financial support in the latest package of bushfire recovery funds provided by the Federal government.
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The most recent $650 million package from the Morrison government is understood to be the final tranche in the $2 billion overall federal commitment under the regional bushfire recovery and development program.
Of this package, $448.5 million will be allocated to communities to support local recovery plans.
Oversight for the program is by the national bushfire recovery agency, operating under the auspices of the office of Prime Minister and Cabinet, with former federal police commissioner Andrew Colvin as its co-ordinator.
There has been little public advice from the recovery agency on its priorities and achievements for more than a month.
The federal government says this latest funding injection comes "as the damage from the bushfires has made itself clear ... and regions have been finalising the sorts of projects they want to get underway".
Minister for Emergency Management David Littleproud said he "always wanted a locally led recovery not a Canberra-led recovery".
"To date, the efforts of every level of government have been focused on emergency relief, the restoration of basic services, clean-up operations and the immediate well-being needs of people in the most severely impacted communities," he said.
"While we recognise not all communities are at the same point of recovery, some communities are starting to consider longer-term planning."
Of the $650 million, some of the specific programs announced include:
- $149.7 million to support habitat regeneration, waterway and catchment restoration, as well as erosion control, weed and pest management;
- $15 million to forestry companies in NSW and Victoria faced with additional costs in extracting salvaged, burnt logs out of forests and transporting them over longer distances to mills and storage sites;
- $13.5 million to primary health networks to provide localised emotional and mental health support for bushfire affected individuals; and
- $27.1 million to strengthen telecommunications capabilities ahead of coming bushfire seasons including an 2000 satellite dishes to provide a link if other connections are damaged, plus batteries and solar panels, to rural fire depots and evacuation centres.
So far, "close to $1 billion" of federal funding is said to "rolling out" through small business grants. primary producer grant, concessional loans. debris clean-up, grants to local government areas, support for mental health, and wildlife support.
Disaster recovery payments and allowances totalling $214.9 million have already been paid, as well as $240 million in shared support with the states for community recovery packages.
More than 30 bushfire-affected regions over the summer are on the priority list for funding. These include the far NSW South Coast, Shoalhaven, Clarence Valley, Mid Coast, Nambucca, Wingecarribee, Snowy Monaro, Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury, Hume, Northern Rivers, Southern Tablelands and the Hunter.
