Strathbogie Shire Council says a new bushfire recovery funding package announced last week falls well short of what is needed to support local communities, despite the municipality being among the highest-impacted areas following January's fires. The Victorian and Commonwealth Governments announced on Wednesday 19 August that Strathbogie and Murrindindi shires would share $1.15 million to support Community Recovery Officer and Recovery Hub programs through to June 2028. Council says approximately $230,000 of that funding will come to Strathbogie, despite the municipality losing 115 homes and facing millions of dollars in ongoing recovery and infrastructure costs. Strathbogie Mayor Scott Jeffery welcomed the support but said significantly more funding would be needed. "Disaster recovery support must be proportionate to the scale and complexity of impact," Cr Jeffery said. "Strathbogie residents lost 115 homes, but of the $15 million announced to establish Community Recovery Officers and Recovery Hubs across bushfire-impacted areas, Strathbogie has received only $1.53 million. "That is not enough to support the three years of recovery we know our residents will need." The latest allocation is understood to be restricted to Community Recovery Officer and Recovery Hub programs and does not extend to wider rebuilding, infrastructure, or resilience projects. The funding forms part of a $15 million recovery package announced following the fires and distributed across affected municipalities using a tiered system. Despite being one of six councils placed in the highest funding tier, Strathbogie Shire maintains the level of support does not adequately reflect the scale of recovery still facing the municipality. Community Recovery Officers work directly with councils to identify local needs, connect residents with support services, and develop tailored recovery programs, while Recovery Hubs provide information, advice, trauma-informed support, and community activities. Federal Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain said recovery was rarely a short-term process. "We know recovery can be a long and difficult journey, and this funding is about making it easier for people to get the help they need, when and where they need it," she said. "The Australian Government will continue to stand with communities in Murrindindi, Strathbogie and across Victoria as they rebuild, recover, and prepare for the future." Victorian Emergency Services Minister Paul Edbrooke said local communities were best placed to determine their own recovery priorities. "Recovery works best when led by locals and informed by community," he said. "That’s why we’re uplifting local councils to best support recovery in their own communities.” Council maintains the latest announcement addresses only a small part of the broader recovery challenge facing the municipality, with significant recovery and rebuilding needs still unfunded. Six months after requesting three years of rates relief for bushfire-affected residents, worth almost $6 million, council is still awaiting a State Government response. The council is also seeking a waiver of the Emergency Services Volunteer Fund levy for affected properties, estimated to be worth a further $1 million. State Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland said the funding should have been available much earlier in the recovery process. "Nearly nine months after the January bushfires, and just weeks out from another bushfire season, this Labor government finally announces basic funding that should have been on the table in the first weeks after the disaster," Ms Cleeland said. "Instead, they dragged it out, and now they want our communities to be grateful for the bare minimum." Ms Cleeland said residents were still waiting for rate relief, improvements to rebuilding permit processes and additional support services. "We still have no rate relief, our permit process is failing the people trying to rebuild, and people in our community remain homeless eight months on," she said. "My fear is that we have localities that will not be able to rebuild unless we get substantial support, rate relief, a proper permit approval process, and critical mental health support on the ground." Cr Jeffery said the municipality was facing an anticipated $2.8 million recovery funding shortfall, in addition to an estimated $12.9 million for infrastructure repairs, upgrades, and resilience projects. Anyone requiring recovery assistance can contact the Emergency Recovery Hotline on 1800 560 760.
