Second Anniversary of Victorian Bushfires

The Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin and the former Parliamentary Secretary for Victoria Bushfire Reconstruction, Bill Shorten, today marked the second anniversary of the Black Saturday bushfires at a service at Melbourne’s Federation Square.

The service remembered the 173 people who lost their lives in the devastating bushfires, as well as the more than 800 people who were injured.

The Prime Minister, Ms Macklin and Mr Shorten joined with others to pay tribute to the many individuals and communities who have shown extraordinary courage in rebuilding their lives after the bushfires.

Black Saturday also caused catastrophic damage to people’s homes and properties, and to community infrastructure.

The Australian Government has supported the recovery and reconstruction effort with a commitment of more than $468 million.

The Australian Government provided direct and immediate financial assistance to more than 59,000 individuals and families, helped 171 Emergency Relief organisations to meet increased demand, and supported 11 community organisations to provide additional counselling support services to bushfire affected families.

The Income Recovery Subsidy has offered temporary income support to employees, small business operators, and farmers who lost income as a direct result of the fires.

The Victorian and Australian Governments have also jointly established a $10 million Community Recovery Fund to assist community development and recovery.

The Australian Government will continue to support individuals and communities as they rebuild their homes, businesses and their lives.