East Gippsland and Towong shires stretched to limit to deal with bushfire funding

Two Victorian council areas hit hard by the Black Summer bushfires are struggling to get major recovery projects off the ground.

Council areas hit hard by the Black Summer bushfires are needing help to get major projects being bankrolled by unprecedented federal and state funding levels off the ground.

East Gippsland and Towong shires had already budgeted for capital works programs more than double the size of those leading up to the 2019-20 summer fires.

But with another major federal cash injection the smaller councils are staring at an even bigger workload.

Planning departments have required assistance from Melbourne and neighbouring councils with contractors to complete the works also in short supply.

East Gippsland’s capital works program jumped from $35.1 million in 2019-20 to $88.75 million for the current financial year.

Half of the works in 2020-21 were being bankrolled by state and federal governments before another $24 million was allocated to council and community groups last week.

East Gippsland suffered major damage in the 2019-20 bushfires.

“These big projects are great news and we will get them done in the end, but statutory planners are as rare as can be,” East Gippsland mayor Mark Reeves said.

“They are overworked and we need more of them.

“It’s a huge issue.”

He said two Melbourne councils had helped out with the extra workload on planners.

The same issues were being faced by Towong which has one of the smallest populations in the state.

It had a capital works budget of just $11.29 million in 2019-20 with only $3.3 million in government grants.

This year it had $25.5 million in capital works slated with $13 million coming from state and federal sources.

But with the latest announcements, another $22 million was injected into 26 projects.

Mayor Andrew Whitehead said completion date extensions already had to be sought as his council managed the never seen before influx of funds.

“It’s a good problem to have in a way,” he said.

“The federal and state governments have been reasonably good so far giving extensions.

“But there are just not the people around to do the work.

“It’s not a council-only problem either. It is across the board.”