Black Summer bushfire support ‘a postcode lottery’

Bushfire victims are suffering a ‘postcode lottery’ when it comes to receiving financial aid, a bushfires inquiry has heard.

Many people wrongly believed they could “ride out” the Black Summer bushfires in neighbourhood safe spaces, an inquiry has heard, amid growing frustrations over a “postcode lottery” for victims seeking financial support.

Indigo Shire Council CEO Trevor Ierino told the Royal Commission into Natural Disaster Arrangements on Wednesday there was major confusion when it came to “safer places” during the Black Summer, with many assuming the areas — often in the middle of ovals or footy fields — were like bomb shelters to sit out the fire when they were in fact a last resort. He said people needed to realise there were no such “bomb shelters” and they should instead try to leave an area early.

Towong Shire Council’s recovery director, Amanda Pagan, said those who lived on the border between Victoria and NSW had been “frustrated” to miss out on bushfire assistance payments because of their address.

She said there had been issues over eligibility, with the Andrews government offering an emergency relief payment of up to $560 per adult when there was no equivalent assistance in neighbouring NSW towns.

Ms Pagan said the differences were even more challenging for those who lived on properties that spread across the border.

“I’m not really sure if there is a postcode lottery around bushfires in terms of grant funding,” she said. “Ideally, there’s a package that’s put together that irrespective of what state line you sit on, that’s what you’re eligible for.”

Commission chair Mark Binskin said the notion of a postcode lottery figured in many problems commissioners were seeing.