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Venus Bay, Bass Coast Shire and Baw Baw Shire get $275,000 funding to reduce natural disaster risk and build resilience

The Australian government is reducing the risk and minimising the impact to communities of large-scale natural disasters like floods and bushfires in Monash by directly funding three projects to the value of $275,000.

By news@gippsland - 7th April 2022 - Back to News

The Preparing Australian Communities Program - Local stream is the first tranche of the Preparing Australia Program, an investment by the Australian government of $600 million over six years to build the nation's resilience to natural disasters. Federal Member for Monash Russell Broadbent said we know communities are best placed to understand their unique needs and how they can best improve their resilience and reduce their level of risk to natural disasters.

Cr Sarah Gilligan, Judy Walker - Board member Venus Bay Community Centre, Wendy Lawrence Chairperson Venus Bay Community Centre, Russell Broadbent MP, Carol Campbell Project officer Venus Bay Community Centre, Henry O'Clery - Board member Venus Bay Community Centre, Eddie McMicking - JMC Electrics, Moragh Mackay and Tara Bayly Mycelia Renewables

Receiving project funding

Mr Broadbent also said, "That's why these projects have been assessed to be so important to the region. These projects are three of 158 projects across the country that shared in $150 million dollars from the commonwealth government.

Projects to receive funding under the program:

$195,000 to Venus Bay Community Centre for Community Resilience and Reliable Energy Feasibility Study at Venus Ba
$44,000 to Bass Coast Council for Crisis Management Preparedness Framework, Plan and Training
$35,587 to Baw Baw Shire Council for Emergency Management Review and Planning for Noojee and Surrounding Areas

"Disasters currently cost Australian taxpayers $18.2 billion per year and this has been forecast to rise to $39 billion per year by 2050, even without increased frequency and intensity of weather events due to climate change." Mr Broadbent added.

"The whole idea of the resilience project is that small communities like these can still function during an emergency. If you lose power here, you lose telecommunications and water. This funding commits to a plan to be prepared," Mr Broadbent said.

Baw Baw Shire Mayor Michael Leaney and Russell Broadbent MP

Program streams

In delivering this program, the Australian government is not only increasing disaster preparedness and resilience, but also reducing the cost in time and money of recovery following future disasters.

There are three streams of the Preparing Australia Program:

Preparing Australian Communities Program for projects of local significance (Communities Local program) - focussed on public risk reduction
Preparing Australian Communities Program for projects of National Significance - focussed on public risk reduction
Preparing Australian Homes Program - focussed on private risk reduction

For more information and a full list of projects funded under the program, please visit the Round One of the Preparing Australian Communities Program - Local stream page.