Bushfires - Food for thought from Bill Sykes

Re: Bushfires – Food for Thought

1. Financial Assistance

The State Government have announced grants from the Victorian Bush Fire Appeal for people who have lost family members, lost their home or been severely affected.

I welcome these grants.

However at this stage the needs of people such as farmers who have lost their businesses have not been recognised.

This must be addressed as a matter of urgency.

2. Public Safety – Boundary Fences

Hundreds of kilometres of boundary and internal fences have been damaged or destroyed.

It is absolutely critical from a public safety perspective to immediately replace or repair fences bounding public roads otherwise further tragedies will occur.

All outer boundary fences need to be replaced or repaired urgently to contain stock.

The All Party Parliamentary inquiry into bushfires recommended that the State Government must at least pick up 50% of the cost of fences adjoining crown land.

Given the devastation caused by recent fires I believe that the Government should immediately meet 50% of the costs of fences bordering public land.

3. Emergency Housing

New Myrtleford based company Mod-Eco is able to produce excellent emergency housing for location ‘on site’ within a few weeks.

Use of these houses would be a ‘win win’ situation – in that appropriate housing would be produced as well as providing employment and a source of income for the community of Myrtleford and district, which has been hard hit by the drought, bushfires in 2003 and 2006/2007 and the closure of the tobacco industry.

Bill Sykes MP
Member for Benalla
Shadow Parliamentary Secretary
for Agriculture & Water