NSW bush re recovery NSW... · 2020. 7. 10. · NSW bushfires. This will ensure owners have more...

NSW bushfire recovery Supporting NSW communities

following the 2019–2020 bushfires

A message from the Deputy PremierAs the Minister responsible for disaster recovery, I want to acknowledge that it has never been tougher for communities around our great state. The compound effects of drought, bushfires and now COVID-19 cannot be underestimated.

There is no denying that we are facing challenges and personal hardships like we have never seen before in our generation. Those who have been impacted by the bushfires are not forgotten. The NSW Government remains committed to supporting communities on the long road to recovery and doing all that we can to get the people of NSW back on their feet.

The Hon. John Barilaro MP Deputy Premier Minister for Regional NSW, Industry and Trade Minister for Disaster Recovery

We pay respect to the Traditional Custodians and First Peoples of NSW, and acknowledge their continued connection to their country and culture.

NSW bushfire recovery | 1

An unprecedented bushfire season 2

Individual recovery 4

Household recovery 7

Small business and the community 10

Industry recovery 12

NSW assistance timeline 16

Publication date 30 June 2020 Resilience NSW GPO Box 5434, Sydney NSW 2001

Learn more resilience.nsw.gov.au service.nsw.gov.au/campaign/bushfire-customer-care-service

Contents

NSW bushfire recovery2 |

An unprecedented bushfire season The bushfires that burned across NSW towards the end of 2019 and into 2020 were unprecedented in scope and scale. They had a devastating impact for so many, and continue to affect families, communities, business and industry.

*As of 30 June 2020

60threatened species impacted

Counting the loss*

5.5 million haburned

13,729deceased livestock

2.6 million haof national park burned

2476homes destroyed

26 lives lost

601,858 haof pastures damaged

88,832 kmof agricultural boundary fencing lost

24Aboriginal Land Council and community sites damaged

Human cost

State infrastructure

880 kmof roads affected

157hospitals and ambulance stations affected

Indigenous sites

11,558 fire incidents

295schools damaged and 3 destroyed

Agriculture

Environment


$2 bnin tourism, retail and

agricultural business losses

Counting the cost*

*As of 30 June 2020

$28 min rail

corridors

State infrastructure

$899 min infrastructure

losses

$44 min road

replacement

$26 min hospital

repairs

$12 min school repairs

Private infrastructure

$43 min telecommunication

site losses

$1 bn

in primary production losses

$6 min livestock

losses

Agriculture

$60 min pasture

losses

$661,317in cropping

losses

$27 min horticultural

losses

$22 min forestry

losses

$888 min agricultural fencing losses

Business


Individual recoveryAs soon as the devastating reality of a bushfire becomes part of a person’s lived experience they are in immediate need of support and assistance. Recovery takes time and the NSW Government, along with local councils and partners, has worked to meet those needs when and how they arise.

The widespread loss and distress caused by an unrelenting bushfire season impacted many across NSW.

Given the scale of the impact, a dedicated Disaster Recovery Office was established to bring together resources from the NSW Police Force, Australian Defence Force and other NSW Government agencies. These resources were supported by the Office of Emergency Management, now Resilience NSW, and prioritised the immediate needs of communities.

The most pressing needs included access to food, shelter, clothing and accommodation. Since November 2019 more than 8000 people have been housed in emergency accommodation, or received help with private rental bonds, advanced rental costs or to locate housing in the private rental market.

For those who chose to stay on their land, the NSW Government is partnering with the Minderoo Foundation, and more recently The Salvation Army, to roll out temporary accommodation pods.

These are self-contained units, with a 2300-litre water tank and options for generator or mains power connection. The pods have a toilet, shower and small kitchen and can accommodate between four and six people. They are provided at no cost to the property owner for up to two years.

With planning amendments supporting the use of temporary accommodation structures on private land, the pods give people time and space to plan their new permanent homes.

Overall, there was a combined response to meet the immediate needs of individuals following the fires. To sustain these efforts, 22 recovery officers funded under a state and federal government arrangement, will be embedded in local councils across NSW. These locally employed recovery officers will be able to identify and respond to the ongoing needs of their communities over the next 12 months.

8000+people provided with emergency accommodation

59*temporary housing pods installed

Bushfire customer care service

13 77 88 service.nsw.gov.au

*As of 30 June 2020

“It is such a rare experience to be treated like an individual rather than a number, and I want to say ‘well done’ to the teams for their patience and willingness to do the little things that have made such a difference for us.” Batlow resident


A temporary pad in a pod

After fire destroyed his Coolagolite property, Stefan Talmatzky is back home.

It’s not the home he left when the Badja Forest Road Fire came through his Wallaga Lake property on 23 January. Instead, it’s a temporary accommodation pod built, delivered and installed through a partnership between the NSW Government and the Minderoo Foundation. For Mr Talmatzky, it will be home for the next two years while he makes plans to rebuild his house.

Credit: Sam Strong/South Coast News


Healthy and resilient The NSW Government is actively supporting communities recovering from the bushfires with health and wellbeing programs.

In recognising the trauma associated with a disaster, let alone one of the size and scale of these bushfires, it has been important to act swiftly and put in place early treatment pathways.

Such a response has the capacity to significantly improve long-term recovery and ensure communities are resilient to the stresses of future disaster events.

For a period of 18 months, the NSW Government has funded 34 Bushfire Recovery Clinicians, who will work alongside affected communities to provide clinical mental health support and identify changing needs.

To reach rural and remote families, Farm Gate Counsellors and additional school counsellors have been funded to provide resources for the most affected and vulnerable to post-disaster stress.

Rural Adversity Mental Health Program coordinators are also working with fire-affected communities, connecting people to the support and assistance they need, while a $6 million funds injection to Lifeline has expanded its ability to respond to the increased number of people seeking its telephone and other services.

Fee-free TAFE courses TAFE NSW, in conjunction with the NSW Government, is offering fee-free short courses to provide the skills needed to help rebuild bushfire-affected communities. Eligibility criteria apply.

NSW Mental Health Line

1800 011 511

Lifeline

13 11 14

TAFE Bushfire Relief

13 16 01 tafensw.edu.au

$4 m*in disaster welfare grants

$15.3 min mental health services for individuals, community groups and emergency services personnel

$6 mto Lifeline

Fee-freeTAFE courses

*As of 30 June 2020


Household recoveryThe scale of bushfire recovery efforts has required close collaboration between local, state and federal governments, alongside local stakeholders and communities. This has been particularly evident in efforts to clean-up destroyed properties.

With households across the state needing clear guidance on the information, support and services available, a one-stop-shop was launched by Service NSW to help set them up for recovery.

An expanded workforce of trained Service NSW bushfire customer care specialists has been taking phone calls, emails and servicing inquiries online to give people the help they need.

Along with a dedicated Disaster Welfare Assistance Line number, these trained specialists have ensured people are connected to the assistance they are eligible for, including:

• accommodation advice

• relevant charitable grants

• mental health and wellbeing services

• support for businesses

• bushfire clean-up services

• financial assistance

• insurance and legal support

• ID replacement

• volunteer Rural Fire Service and State Emergency Service payments.

Bushfire clean-upThe state and federal governments have committed to fund the clean-up for insured and uninsured properties destroyed by the NSW bushfires. This will ensure owners have more money to rebuild their homes. With more than 2400 houses and thousands of structures damaged, it is just one of the ways both governments are helping bushfire-affected communities move towards recovery.

Coordinating a clean-up effort across the state has been a demanding task, made all the more challenging due to restrictions in place from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Clean-up work has continued at a steady pace and by mid-year, contractor Laing O’Rourke and its local subcontractor will have cleared the volume of registered properties.

These contractors are bringing much-needed work and income to local communities with 99 per cent of the awarded contracts going to local or regional businesses, creating more than 1000 jobs.



Disaster Welfare Assistance

1800 018 444

Bushfire clean-up registration


More than 55,000calls for help with recovery assistance*

Stamp duty relieffor homeowners who lost property

Council ratescovered for a year

30 Junemajority of registered destroyed properties cleaned up

Hundreds of millionsof dollars for property clean-ups

* Includes grants, loans, clean-ups, legal help and housing


Bushfire property clean-up recovers service medals

Local Conjola Park resident and retired US Marine, David Dgahita, was thrilled to have a bushfire clean-up team locate precious service medals while clearing his property in April.

The medals were from service in Afghanistan, Somalia, Lebanon and Iraq. They included his Kuwait Liberation Medal as well as 14 other medals and ribbons, his retirement flag, and numerous citations and awards.

The medals were found during the efforts of contractor Laing O’Rourke and local subcontractors to clear the site. They are among the many precious personal objects that have been returned to families who have lost their home to bushfire.


The rebuild beginsA $26 million funding package will help communities rebuild following statewide clean-up efforts.

The Disaster Welfare Rebuild Program will build the houses of up to 100 families who own their land but have no means to replace their home. Under a NSW Government Housing Strategy being developed through Resilience NSW, the program will focus on the next critical stage of recovery, which is to support people while they rebuild.

Those who risk being left behind through the recovery process are eligible for the program, which includes uninsured households, those with low income and assets, and those who lost their principle place of residence at the time of the disaster.

Already, more than 450 families have been helped with a cumulative $2.7 million to replace essential household goods and a further $1.4 million to make structural repairs to properties.

Disaster Welfare Rebuild Program


Thousands deployed nationallyDuring the critical early days of the nation’s bushfire recovery, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) deployed 6400 personnel, including 3000 reservists.

The ADF’s efforts were focused on assisting state authorities to reopen roads, restore essential services and deliver emergency food, water and fodder to communities.

When Operation Bushfire Assist finished on 26 March, assistance was extended across several key areas. Water production and purification support was provided for Bega Valley Shire Council, delivering 6.1 million litres of drinking water for the community. In the Kempsey area, the ADF helped assess damage on key transport routes to inform road repairs.

Fire damage assessment was provided in the Hawkesbury region as a result of the Gospers Mountain fire. The ADF also provided support to collect and distribute donated goods to those who needed them, and has continued its recovery support embedded in local and NSW Government agencies.

Australian Defence Force recovery activities

• 286 ADF tasks completed

• 3026 km of roads cleared

• 4.7 m litres of water delivered

• 11,800 litres of diesel supplied

• 629,682 kg of fodder delivered

• 23,101 meals delivered

• 360.65 km of fire trails inspected and cleared

• 45.3 km of fire breaks created

Image: Operation Bushfire Assist saw ADF personnel supporting bushfire response and recovery operations, with ADF chainsaw teams clearing debris around Lithgow in March.

Credit: Corporal Colin Dadd. © Commonwealth of Australia, Department of Defence


Small business and the communitySmall businesses are the cornerstone of communities throughout regional NSW and their success is vital to the recovery effort. A number of assistance measures have been made available to help bushfire-affected small businesses get back on their feet.

Small Business Support GrantThe Small Business Support Grant is a $10,000 payment to businesses in the 30 most bushfire-affected local government areas that have experienced a significant revenue drop due to the bushfires. The grant is an easy-to-access payment that can be used for standard business costs such as utilities, salaries and rent. It can also cover the costs of seeking financial advice, altering the focus of the business, promoting the business or making the business more resilient to future disasters.

Bushfire Recovery GrantWith the Bushfire Recovery Grant, small businesses and non-profit organisations can receive a payment of up to $50,000 if they have had direct damage to their premises or equipment as a result of the bushfires. It can also be used to help pay for clean-up costs and the reinstatement of normal operations.

The Small Business Support Grant and Bushfire Recovery Grant are NSW Government programs administered by Service NSW.

Bushfire Working Capital LoanThe Bushfire Working Capital Loan is a $50,000 loan over five years with a two-year interest and payment-free period. It can be used for essential expenses while the business returns to its normal level of trading. These expenses can include wages, rent, goods, services, fodder, water for livestock and transporting livestock or produce.

Bushfire Recovery LoanFor significantly larger investments, a Bushfire Recovery Loan of up to $500,000 over 10 years, with a two-year interest and payment-free period, is available. It can be used to replace or repair damaged infrastructure, purchase livestock or replant areas that were impacted by the bushfires.

The Bushfire Working Capital Loan and Bushfire Recovery Loan are administered by the NSW Rural Assistance Authority. They are jointly funded by the state and federal governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.



Rural Assistance Authority

1800 678 593 raa.nsw.gov.au

$191.4 m in $10,000 Small Business Support Grants approved*

$43.7 m in Bushfire Recovery Grants (up to $50,000 each) approved for small businesses*

$11.7 m in Bushfire Working Capital Loans (up to $50,000 each) approved for businesses*

$4.9 min Bushfire Recovery Loans (up to $500,000 each) approved for businesses*

*As of 30 June 2020


Industry recoveryThe NSW Government has championed bushfire recovery for primary industries and tourism, providing millions of dollars in state and shared funding programs.

The past season’s bushfires were exacerbated by prolonged drought, and in some areas of the state, were followed by storms and flooding. This tested primary producers’ resilience and affected their ability to recover personally and financially.

Under federal and state funding arrangements, a $75,000 Special Disaster Grant (Bushfire Recovery) was made available to primary producers. The grant could be used for immediate recovery costs including clean-up costs, the disposal of dead livestock and replacing damaged or destroyed on-farm infrastructure.

In addition to the shared funding pool, the NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI) and Local Land Services (LLS) have been providing recovery assistance and advice to landholders, primary producers, commercial fishers and other bushfire-affected industries.

For information about the Special Disaster Grant (Bushfire Recovery) and Supply Chain Support Grants, contact the Rural Assistance Authority

Rural Assistance Authority

1800 678 593 raa.nsw.gov.au

Forestry, horticulture, viticulture, dairy, apiculture and aquaculture businesses can access Supply Chain Support Grants through the NSW Rural Assistance Authority. It is part of a $140 million Bushfire Industry Recovery Package to support short-term recovery and job retention.

To help cover the costs of rebuilding boundary fences, the Supporting Our Neighbours program administered by LLS has also been established.

It provides a $209 million financial assistance package and is open to landholders as one-off grants of up to $5000 per kilometre of damaged fencing, where the property has a boundary with Crown land or a state forest.

For information about the Supporting Our Neighbours boundary fence program, contact Service NSW

Service NSW


$209 mfor farming families to rebuild fences adjoining Crown land

$140 mBushfire Industry Recovery Package to support forestry, horticulture and agriculture

$75,000Special Disaster Grant (Bushfire Recovery) for primary producers


A helping hand for farming families

When the Dunns Road fire reached the Tumut family farm that Jeffery had lived on his whole life, it took just about everything. The family home, the farm sheds, the fences and all the family’s farming equipment were destroyed – everything except for 30 head of cattle.

Of the immediate needs that Jeffery had, financial assistance to keep his property running was at the top of the list.

At the Tumut Service NSW Centre, Jeffery received help to apply for government grants, access financial assistance from a charity fund and replace important documentation including his birth certificate. Service NSW also organised a delivery of hay for his cattle to ease the pressure of keeping stock alive among his other pressing business and personal needs.


Sharing the love for NSWBushfires, drought and COVID-19 have had a devastating impact on NSW’s visitor economy.

To welcome visitors back and kick-start recovery in regional and rural economies, the NSW Government and its tourism and major events agency Destination NSW launched a multi-faceted program. Its focus was on rejuvenation, innovation and support for tourism businesses to develop, promote and sell their products.

The first phase of the campaign was inspired by the outpouring of public support for communities affected by drought and bushfires. It urged people to “love NSW” and take a break that would give back to disaster-affected areas.

However, as travel restrictions to keep people safe during COVID-19 came into force, the campaign changed to promote the travel people could do following restrictions lifting on 1 June.

The “Love NSW” campaign will contribute to the existing bushfire recovery commitments and includes a $1 million regional events program to support existing flagship events, new micro-events, targeted marketing campaigns and programs intended to upskill tourism operators in disaster-affected communities.

. Visit NSW

visitnsw.com/lovensw

$10 mfor Destination NSW’s “Love NSW” campaign

$250,000per local government area for bushfire-affected councils to host local events

Image: Aerial footage over burned areas of the Snowy Mountains show the scale of devastation.


Nymboida’s community of volunteers were quick to rally around its locals to form the Helping Hub, coordinating offers of help and donations. Credit: Pete O’Malley


NSW assistance timeline The NSW Government’s commitment to bushfire recovery funding includes:

• $1.2 billion share of the joint Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements incorporating the Laing O’Rourke clean-up costs, grants for small businesses and primary producer grants

• $1 billion in infrastructure funding to repair destroyed and damaged assets

• $140 million Industry Package for horticulture, agriculture and forestry industries.

Image: Member for Bega The Hon. Andrew Constance MP, Minister for Disaster Recovery The Hon. John Barilaro MP (centre), and NSW Police Assistant Commissioner and then Bushfire Recovery Coordinator Mick Willing look over burned bushland near Nerrigundah on the NSW South Coast in late January.


Ongoing Disaster Recovery

Allowance payments for

people who lost income as a

result of bushfires started in August, and continued to

be paid through to February 2020

12 NovemberState of

Emergency declared for NSW

20 November

$25 mtowards the clean-up of properties

impacted by bushfires

19 December A second State of Emergency

is declared for NSW

extending over the Christmas

holidays

29 December New volunteer

firefighter payment

introduced

November 2019 December 2019 January 2020 February 2020 March 2020 April 2020 May / June 2020

3 January

$18.1 mto help businesses reopen and $4.5 m for mental health services across

Southern NSW from state and federal

governments

8 January

880tonnes of emergency fodder for farming families at Moruya, Bega and Cooma

9 January

$1 bover two years to rebuild the

bushfire-impacted communities

of NSW

Disaster Response Legal Service

launched to give free legal help to bushfire-affected

people

Bushfire Recovery Clinicians deployed

to offer mental health support

Bushfire Housing Assistance Service

launched

12 January Business support

and financial hardship provisions

for licensed premises

Over

2 tonnes of food and water

delivered to endangered

brush-tailed rock-wallaby habitats

21 January Full costs of

cleaning up eligible properties destroyed

by bushfires since July 2019 covered

Laing O’Rourke contracted to

lead the bushfire clean-up, alongside

local businesses

$75,000 Special Disaster

Grant for primary producers

22 JanuaryService NSW

launches Bushfire Customer Care

Service

4 February Financial support

for bushfire-affected businesses and councils made available through shared state and federal Disaster

Recovery Funding Arrangements,

including:

$50,000grants to small

businesses and non-profit organisations

Up to

$250,000 for local

community recovery

Loans of up to

$500,000 for ongoing

business continuity

5 February Cost of council

rates covered for six months

8 February

$10 mtourism recovery

package

13 February Free smoke taint tests for bushfire-

affected wine grape growers

9 March Stamp duty relief for homeowners

who lost property during bushfires

16 March

$10,000 grant for bushfire-

affected small businesses offered

to select local government areas

under state and federal government

arrangements

12 March

$3.5 mfor NSW apple

industry to restore orchards in Batlow

and Bilpin

12 April

$209 mfor farming

families to rebuild boundary

fences next to bushfire-affected

public lands

18 April

Over 100 temporary

accommodation pods built in

partnership with the Minderoo Foundation

20 April

$140 mBushfire Industry Recovery Package to support forestry,

horticulture and agriculture

industries

22 April

$10,000grant for bushfire-

affected small businesses

expanded to additional local

government areas

13 MayFee-free

TAFE courses program for

bushfire-affected communities

expanded

17 May

$8.5 m for Operation

Outreach to help people

not receiving or unable to access

assistance

31 MayFamily-sized

pods added to Minderoo

Foundation temporary

accommodation partnership

program

22 JuneRate relief extended

Six month council rate relief program extended to a year

30 June

$26 m Disaster Welfare Rebuild Program

Assistance for the state’s most

vulnerable families with no means to

replace their home

CS0864

Learn more resilience.nsw.gov.au

service.nsw.gov.au/campaign/bushfire-customer-care-service

CopyrightThis publication is protected by copyright. With the exception of (a) any NSW State Arms, logo, trade mark or other branding; (b) any third party intellectual property; and (c) personal information such as photographs of people, this publication is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence. The licence terms are available at the Creative Commons website at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.

Resilience NSW requires that it be attributed as creator of the licensed material in the following manner: © State of New South Wales, Resilience NSW 2020. You may also use material in accordance with rights you may have under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth), for example under the fair dealing provisions or statutory licences.

The use of any material from this publication in a way not permitted by the above licence or otherwise allowed under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth) may be an infringement of copyright. Infringing copyright may expose you to legal action by, and liability to, the copyright owner. Where you wish to use the material in a way that is not permitted, you must lodge a request for further authorisation with Resilience NSW.

DisclaimerResilience NSW does not guarantee or warrant, and accepts no legal liability whatsoever arising from or connected to, the accuracy, reliability, currency or completeness of any material contained in this publication.

Information in this publication is provided as general information only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from a qualified professional. Resilience NSW recommends that users exercise care and use their own skill and judgment in using information from this publication and that users carefully evaluate the accuracy, currency, completeness and relevance of such information. Users should take steps to independently verify the information in this publication and, where appropriate, seek professional advice.

Nothing in this publication should be taken to indicate Resilience NSW’s or the NSW Government’s commitment to a particular course of action.

EnquiriesEnquiries relating to this publication or use of material in this publication should be directed to: Resilience NSW’s communications team via email at [email protected]; direct mail to GPO Box 5434, Sydney, NSW 2001; or, phone call to (02) 9212 9200.

© State of NSW 2020

NSW bush re recovery NSW... · 2020. 7. 10. · NSW bushfires. This will ensure owners have more...

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