Huon Valley ineligible for Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grants, despite impact of 2019 fires

Despite being ravaged by bushfires just 12 months before Australia’s so-called Black Summer, the Huon Valley municipality is ineligible to access a new bushfire recovery grant scheme. DETAILS >>

The Huon Valley is ineligible to access a federal government grant program designed to assist with recovery from the Black Summer bushfires, frustrating the operator of the region’s key tourist attraction.

The state’s southernmost municipality was ravaged by fire in early 2019, 12 months before Australia’s so-called Black Summer. The Riveaux Rd blaze, which covered 63,769 hectares, started on January 15 that year, burning to the west of Huonville and Geeveston, as well as in the Southwest and Hartz Mountains national parks.

The popular Tahune Airwalk at Geeveston was significantly damaged by the fires and had to close for 12 months.

It was hit again by Covid and only resumed trading from Boxing Day last year.

Tahune Airwalk director Ken Stronach said it was a continuous struggle trying to get the business back on track after two years of adversity.

“I think … had the Covid thing not happened, we probably would be on the way to recovery in terms of visitor numbers and generating awareness of the site with interstate and international visitors,” he said.

Mr Stronach said he was disappointed the federal government’s Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grants scheme – established to support programs and initiatives for community recovery – included other Tasmanian local government areas, such as Break O’ Day and the Central Highlands, but not the Huon Valley.

SUNTAS: Tahune Airwalk reopening. at Tahune, Geeveston.

Mr Stronach said the Tasmanian fires of 2018-19, which burned through 210,000 hectares, were the “precursor” to the Black Summer and including the Huon Valley in the scheme would make a difference for “a lot of people”.

“If we were able, for example, to be able to access something that would not just put cash in our pockets but enhance the business, develop the business and enhance the site, maybe make it more cost-effective as well and give it some other points of difference, I would be very interested in looking to try to apply for something like that, whether it be a loan or grant,” Mr Stronach said.

Franklin Labor MHR Julie Collins said the government needed to “come clean” and “explain why the Huon Valley is being excluded from this funding program”.

“I know many organisations and businesses would benefit from this funding and it would help assist the Huon Valley’s recovery from fires,” she said.

“This community is still doing it tough and it seems cruel to exclude it from this source of funding.”

SUNTAS: Tahune Airwalk reopening. at Tahune, Geeveston.

A National Recovery and Resilience Agency spokeswoman said the Huon Valley had been disaster declared following the 2018-19 bushfire event and had been eligible for assistance under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements, which are jointly funded by the federal and state governments.

“In response to the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires, the Australian government has committed more than $2 billion to the Bushfire Recovery Fund for programs and initiatives to support community recovery,” the spokeswoman said.

“The Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grants are available under the BRF for every local government area that was disaster declared as a result of the 2019-20 Black Summer fires.”

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Originally published as Huon Valley ineligible for Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grants, despite impact of 2019 fires