Support for our community devastated by bushfire continues with Phase 2 of the Bushfire Community Recovery and Resilience Fund (BCRRF) providing more than $25 million to promote community well-being, social and future disaster resilience.

Councils eligible for Stream 1 funding will be contacted soon to receive their $100,000 or $250,000 payments. Kempsey Shire, Nambucca Valley and Port Macquarie-Hastings Councils will each receive $250,000. And Coffs Harbour City Council will receive $100,000.

Applications for Stream 2 are open from today and allow for more immediate funding to flow to local councils, community groups and not-for-profit organisations faster, whilst still supporting communities with medium and longer-term projects.

Federal Member for Cowper Pat Conaghan said our communities still have a long road ahead to recover from the 2019-20 bushfires and he welcomed the further support for locally-led initiatives.

“Community-led recovery is so important. It’s through the work and ideas of local communities that recovery is achieved and resilience is strengthened,” he said.

Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management David Littleproud said the Australian Government continues its support to bushfire-impacted communities on their journey to recovery.

Australia’s bushfire impacted communities have displayed the most amazing resilience to firstly withstand the onslaught of the Black Summer bushfires and secondly to work so hard to rebuild their lives from it,” Mr Littleproud said.

“The importance of community-led recovery cannot be underestimated. It’s through the work and ideas of local communities that recovery is achieved and resilience is strengthened.

“Under long standing joint Commonwealth/state funding arrangements this funding allows communities to invest in projects that will directly benefit recovery efforts and help communities across New South Wales build back better.”

The BCRRF is split into two streams:

• Stream 1 will provide funding for shorter-term projects in impacted local government areas including council-led small-scale community grants program. Through Stream 1, Kempsey Shire, Nambucca Valley and Port Macquarie-Hastings Councils will each receive $250,000. And Coffs Harbour City Council will receive $100,000.
• Stream 2 will provide grants to bushfire affected regions, and will be open to community groups, councils and not-for-profits for social recovery and preparedness projects between $20,000 and $300,000. Grants will be assessed at a regional level using Regional Panels to maximise the recovery support to communities across local government boundaries.

This brings the total BCRRF to over $35 million jointly funded by the Commonwealth and NSW Governments under Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements and is in addition to measures supported through the National Bushfire Recovery Fund. The BCRRF is administered by Resilience NSW – for more information visit its website here.