As we begin to assess the fire damage in Victoria, we must not overlook these hidden costs |
Devastated by widespread fires, Victoria has declared a state of disaster. More than 500 structures have reportedly been destroyed and 1,000 agricultural properties have been affected. Tragically, there has also been one fatality.
On Monday, the Victorian government announced new assistance payments of up to A$52,250 to help uninsured home owners and renters “re-establish their principal place of residence”.
This builds on a joint state and federal $19.5 million package offering food, emergency housing, mental health support, a recovery hotline, agricultural support and case-specific assistance.
People in impacted areas may also be eligible for the federal Disaster Recovery Payment ($1,000 per adult and $400 per child) and the Victorian government’s Personal Hardship Assistance Program ($680 per adult and $340 per child, up to a family cap of $2,380). They may also be eligible for Disaster Recovery Allowance income support.
All of these supports and payments are important and are being rolled out rapidly. But much more can be done, especially when decision-makers recognise that treating everyone affected by bushfires the same does not actually produce fair outcomes – as our research has shown.
Many Australians think disaster-hit regions are all, more or less, the same if they suffer the same size of area burned or other immediate measures of fire........