VIC establishes flood support fund for Councils

The Victorian Government has established the Council Flood Support Fund to ensure the state’s most flood-affected communities get the support they need.

As Victorian Councils begin their clean-up efforts, the Victorian Government has begun issuing immediate rapid response payments.

The Council Flood Support Fund is an initial measure to provide immediate payments of $500,000 to the 24 local government areas that have experienced the most profound flood damage.

Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews, said the funding aims to assist local clean-up activities and the restoration of local facilities and services that are important to regional communities, like sports clubs and community centres.

“Local councils are on the frontline of recovery efforts – we’re giving them extra support so they can help their communities when they need it most,” Mr Andrews said.

“We’re at our best when we work together, every level of government is ready to stand with local communities as we repair the damage that’s been done.”

This support is in addition to existing Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements – delivering the extra support communities need for grassroots recovery efforts.

Victorian Minister for Local Government, Melissa Horne, said, “We’ll support local councils every step of the way as they start clean-up and recovery efforts, and this rapid payment is just the beginning of our support to help them begin their recovery while floodwaters are still high.”

Clean-up activities supported through the fund include the collection and removal of debris deposited on council parks, reserves and community assets, transportation costs, staffing and restoration of community services.

The local government areas eligible for this initial payment are: