Victoria's fire-hit towns to get $193m

A $193 million plan has been announced to rebuild the Victorian communities hit by
the Black Saturday bushfires.
The plan was announced by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Victorian Premier John
Brumby at the bushfire-hit town of Flowerdale, northeast of Melbourne, on Friday.
John Burgess hopes his community of Flowerdale will emerge stronger from the tragedy.
Mr Burgess, who chairs the Flowerdale Recovery Committee set up after Victoria's
February 7 fires that killed two locals, says the town was always short on
infrastructure.
On Friday, he gathered at the Flowerdale Primary School northeast of Melbourne for
news the town has waited more than eight months to hear.
The school is one of the few buildings still standing in the now green valley, along
with a pub, general store and a cluster of tents and caravans where proud residents
left homeless in the fires are living in close quarters.
Under the $193 million plan to rebuild the state's bushfire-affected communities,
Flowerdale is in line for new recreation areas, an early childhood centre and a
community house.
An upgrade for the community hall and the construction of a memorial garden have
also been earmarked.
"What we'll get back for Flowerdale versus what we had before is an absolutely huge
thing for this country town," Mr Burgess told reporters.
He says the community is beginning to recover physically and mentally after a
consultation process involving the entire community.
"Most of the priorities that we see in this are the ones the community wanted."
The funding includes $117 million from the state and federal governments, $20
million from corporate donations and $56 million from the Victorian Bushfire Appeal
Fund, leaving $30 million in its coffers.
Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority chair Christine Nixon said
the money would be used to construct 900 projects from recovery plans submitted by
communities.
These include schools, sporting clubs, health centres, community hubs and tourist
attractions.
But Ms Nixon admitted it was inevitable about 10 per cent of residents affected by
the fires would not return to their former communities, including those in
bushfire-ravaged Marysville where no construction has begun.
Earlier this week federal shadow treasurer Joe Hockey criticised the Victorian
government's building program in Marysville as mired in red tape.
In Flowerdale, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd called for a continued bipartisan approach
to the tragedy.
"One of the great things about what we as the national, state and local community
have done in response to this extraordinary tragedy, which went to the hearts of
people at home and people abroad, is that so far by and large we've kept all this
free from partisan politics," he said.
"Let's exercise every effort to keep it that way."
But the message came as the prime minister - flanked by government officials and
camera crews - greeted local schoolchildren and stopped to pose for photographs with
their families after Premier John Brumby announced the grant.
Mr Rudd said the federal government had worked with its Victorian counterpart to
help individuals, families, small businesses and primary producers get back on their
feet.