Bushfire victims to get $50k to rebuild

12 Mar 2009, 6:30 pm   -   Source: AAP
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Bushfire survivors whose homes were lost or badly damaged in the deadly Black Saturday disaster will receive $50,000 each to kickstart their rebuilding process.

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Bushfire survivors whose homes were lost or badly damaged in the deadly Black Saturday disaster will receive $50,000 each to kickstart their rebuilding process.

In the first significant distribution of the more than $236 million donated in response to the February 7 bushfires, Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund chairman John Landy on Thursday announced the allocation of more than $130 million.

The initial payments will be given equally to bushfire survivors who owned homes regardless of their financial or personal circumstances.

Second payment means tested

However, a second round of payments to be announced in the next two weeks will be means tested, a spokeswoman for Mr Landy said.

"The panel recognises the bushfires were the most significant natural disaster in Australia's history and all of those people affected were significantly affected," spokeswoman Melissa Arch said.

"That second payment that will be available will be needs based and will recognise some people were more affected."

The initial grants will consist of $35,000 for rebuilding and $15,000 to replace contents, while tenants in rented properties will get $15,000 to replace lost or damaged contents.

'Unparalleled generosity'

Mr Landy, the former Victorian governor, said the money donated so far was unprecedented and continued to flow in.

"If you go back to why people did this, it's a wonderful example of compassion and generosity - unparalleled," Mr Landy told reporters in Whittlesea, north of Melbourne.

"They did this with a wish that people should recover, individually, that houses should be rebuilt and that communities should be restored.

"We have taken this on board and we have made this universal payment of $50,000 in the case of every house that has been destroyed in the fires."

Hundreds of uninsured homes

Mr Landy said more than 1,800 homes and more than 400 rental properties were destroyed.

Around 700 homes were uninsured and the lack of cover will be considered in the complex second round of special needs payments, Mr Landy added.

"It will (be) a case of people who, because they were not insured, will not have enough funds or only partially insured, people who have lost income or have insufficient income, housing situations which are special - in other words, the building may require special aspects," he said.

More than $180 million from the appeal fund has now been allocated following the disaster, with an initial $50 million being committed to the emergency effort in the days immediately after the Black Saturday bushfires, Mr Landy said.

'Plan with certainty'

Premier John Brumby said Thursday's announcement would help families continuing to come to terms with the mammoth rebuilding task ahead.

"The government was very keen for these announcements to be made as early as possible so families could plan ahead with certainty and security and know what support they might be receiving," Mr Brumby said.

He added that families and homeowners would be told in the coming days when they would receive the money.

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Your Comments

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