Strathbogie Shire and Greater Shepparton City Councils share bushfire grant
$1.66M has been awarded to nine councils over the next two years as part of the Safer Together Strengthening Local Government Partnerships program. The grants are part of the Victorian Government’s support for councils across the state, enabling them to design and implement community-centred approaches to reducing bushfire risk.
This latest round of funding will support Strathbogie Shire Council to partner with Greater Shepparton City Council and their communities to design localised emergency action plans in these areas of high bushfire or grass fire risk.
Since 2016, Safer Together – led jointly by DEECA and the CFA – has supported Victoria’s bushfire management sector to work in partnership with communities to reduce bushfire risk at a local level. The Strengthening Local Government Partnerships program was established in 2018 to further support this work and in total has now awarded almost $4M in funding to support community-based initiatives.
“We are pleased to share this grant with the Shepparton Council, and we know that Ruffy and Kirwans Bridge communities are looking forward to working with our staff and the Project Officer,” said Strathbogie Shire administrator Peter Stephenson, about working with GSCC and emphasising the significance of local involvement in shaping the emergency plans.
“Locals possess valuable knowledge, such as escape routes and identifying vulnerable community members, which is essential in crafting effective emergency action plans tailored to each community’s needs.”
