The Australian Government is extending the closing date for the $280 million Black Summer Bushfire Recovery (BSBR) Grants program to 6 October 2021, giving communities more time to apply.
Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience Senator the Hon Bridget McKenzie said extending the application period by an extra month will enable communities impacted by the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires to recover and rebuild.
“We have listened to extensive feedback from the impacted communities, and are providing them with this extension to put forward their best ideas and projects that will meet local needs,” Minister McKenzie said.
“We’re pleased to have committed $2.8 billion of Commonwealth support towards the recovery from the devastating 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires, with $2.4 billion already spent to get people back on their feet.
“I encourage those who are eligible and have a great project initiative to submit an application by 6 October, with all applications from the 110 eligible Local Government areas to be assessed on merit and demonstrated need.”
Coordinator-General for the National Recovery and Resilience Agency the Hon Shane L Stone AC QC said the new closing date buys people much-needed time.
“Many Australians are facing a major disruption to their lives due to COVID-19 and a lot of the communities impacted by the Black Summer Bushfires are now in lockdown. It’s understandable that filling out a grant application may not have been someone’s highest priority.
“It made sense to shift the closing date to give them a bit more time. We want people to have the time to think of projects that will bring the greatest benefit to their communities, and to get as much information and support as they can before pulling their applications together,” Mr Stone said.
The NRRA is continuing to support people in a range of ways to prepare their applications, for example online workshops are still available, as well as short videos and answers to Frequently Asked Questions on the NRRA website.
Black Summer Bushfire Recovery grants are available in every Local Government Area that was declared a disaster as a result of the 2019–20 Black Summer bushfires.
For more information on the assistance that is available, including workshops, visit: www.recovery.gov.au/black-summer-grants
