Bushfire Fund Driving Recovery

Media Release 26th May 2020

Helping people recover from the Black Summer bushfires is a priority for the Australian Government and this week’s release of the $2 billion Bushfire Recovery Fund’s spending profile only reinforces this.

To ensure we are keeping communities up-to-date with progress, the National Bushfire Recovery Agency (NBRA), headed by National Coordinator Andrew Colvin, has published a new factsheet providing an overview of how funding has been delivered to communities and the pockets of people who need it most.

Emergency Management Minister David Littleproud is making sure support is delivered and that people do not fall through the cracks.

“This is a locally led recovery not a Canberra led recovery and we’re building back better,” Minister Littleproud said.

“In response to the Black Summer Bushfires the $2 billion fund is now committed, with

$1 billion already in the hands of impacted communities.

“These funds are driving mental health and wellbeing programs, support for small businesses and have also been distributed to Local Government Areas to allow for tailored support for individual communities.”

Funding is rolling out over a two-year period to allow communities to best determine their recovery needs and go at their own pace.

The Government has also provided other existing disaster support funding including disaster recovery payments and allowances, to provide an additional $417 million.

When you add in these programs, $1.4 billion is already working hard on recovery.

“We want to make sure that no one feels left behind by the recovery process, we’re here for the long haul and will help make the journey easier for communities” Minister Littleproud said.

“Though the majority of the Australian Government funds are delivered by State and Territory Governments, our government continues to provide an oversight of community needs, funding allocations and program delivery through the National Bushfire Recovery Agency.”

Read more about the funding delivered on the factsheet here Funding Fact Sheet

To access support and to find further details, visit the National Bushfire Recovery Agency website at www.bushfirerecovery.gov.au