Bushfire assistance for local councils

In response to the 2009 Victorian bushfires, the State Government will reimburse local councils from fire-affected municipalities a range of recovery and response measures not normally eligible under the Natural Disaster Funding Arrangements.

Eligible measures are listed below.

Claims for reimbursement are subject to the same process and guidelines as standard claims, including:

• Councils are to use NDFA Municipal Claim Form, which is available on the DTF website;
• Advance payments to councils can be made based on estimated costs. However evidence, such as quotes, to support the claim are requested;
• In order to speed up the assessment process, claims are to be simultaneously lodged with DTF and either VicRoads or the Office of the Emergency Services Coordinator; and
• The standard eligibility period applies, being two financial years following the financial year the natural disaster occurred. As such, Councils may lodge their 2009 Victorian bushfire expenditure claims up to 30 June 2012.

Eligible measures

Establishing and operating centres and facilities:

• Municipal emergency co-ordination centre (MECC)
• Emergency relief and recovery centres
• Providing and co-ordinating emergency catering for response agency personnel and affected members of the community (in conjunction with Red Cross and other providers)

Co-ordinating and ensuring effective transport in the area:

• Providing transport for those at risk
• Clearing impassable roads (e.g. removing trees and debris)
• Unblocking drains
• Assisting with resources to partially or completely close roads and determining alternative routes

Providing and co-ordinating equipment and materials for response support:

• Equipment for traffic or crowd diversion (e.g. barricades, traffic signs)
• Material to absorb spilt fluids
• Levee or damming materials
• Heavy equipment for earth moving, clearing material or debris, transporting materials, water or personnel, lifting materials and pumping water

Co-ordinating and managing to affected persons:

• The supply of material needs, such as food, water and clothing
• Environmental health, such as accommodation, sanitation and vector control

Providing:

• Community development services
• Personal support services (e.g. counselling, advocacy)
• Emergency and/or temporary accommodation
• Gathering and processing information for post-impact assessments
• Information and advice to communities, recovery agencies and the State Government through staffing recovery/information centre(s), organising public meetings, issuing newsletters, and advertising;

Council emergency management roles:

Organising clean-up and repair activities:

• Removing debris, clearing blocks of hazardous material (e.g. trees) and removing public health hazards (e.g. dead animals from waterways)
• Disposing of dead, maimed or diseased animals (domestic, livestock, native and feral)
• Repairing and restoring infrastructure such as roads, bridges, sporting facilities and public amenities
• Supervising and inspecting rebuilding and redevelopment
• Heavy equipment for earth moving, clearing material or debris, transporting materials, water or personnel, lifting materials and pumping water

Revenue forgone:

• Rate waivers (full and partial) on residential properties destroyed or rendered inhabitable (5 months only from February – June 2009)
• Rate waivers (full and partial) on small business properties destroyed (5 months only from February – June 2009) (Note1 )
• Building permit fees waived (full or partial) for rebuilding homes and small business facilities destroyed in the bushfires (Note 2)
• Waste fees waived (full or partial) for the disposal of debris for those not eligible to participate in the government-funded clean-up program (Note 2)

Note 1: Eligible small businesses are those that meet the small business criteria utilised by the Rural Finance Corporation.

Note 2: Includes instances where a local council chooses to fully or partially reimburse an individual any eligible fees charged by a relevant third party. As a result, building permits provided by private building surveyors are also covered by this provision including the lodgment fee, 'Report and Consent' fees, and professional services up to the capped amounts.

For these revenue forgone measures, the Government will only meet the proportion of the revenue collected and retained by the council or building surveyor (i.e. excludes any taxes and duties collected on behalf of the Government or other regulatory body).

Further information

For further details, please contact Dan Harper, Local Government Victoria, on 9651 7096 or Iain Bramley, Budget and Financial Management, on 9651 5834.