Back on their feet

By Melissa Meehan
ON THE EVE of the third anniversary of Black Saturday, the State Government has defended claims those living in the temporary villages in Marysville and Kinglake are being pushed out.
Residents have told the Mail that the remaining families have no choice but to go by the mid-March deadline.
But, the government says the nine remaining households living in the temporary villages will finally be able to stand on their two feet and deny reports those families are being pushed.
A government spokesperson said nobody would be forced out of the villages but anticipated that seven of the nine remaining households would have completed their transition to permanent accommodation by the end of February, with the remaining two rehoused in mid-March.
It has been a long three years for many who were affected by Black Saturday, but with hardship has come strength – with communities coming together to rebuild and move on.
Marking the third anniversary, Deputy Premier and Minister for Bushfire Response Peter Ryan launched the government’s Victorian Bushfire Recovery Three Year Report in Yarra Glen on Wednesday.
“Victoria’s bushfire-affected communities have made significant progress on their road to recovery since the 2009 bushfires,” Mr Ryan said. “This report looks at progress made during the past 12 months around reconstruction efforts, economic recovery for business and tourism development, environmental and farmland recovery and the continuation of support programs for 2012.”
The report, while very general, outlines the way government funding has been spent in bushfire affected areas.
Steels Creek is a notable absence in the report, but a government spokesperson said projects and photos included in the report represented a selection of projects implemented in the last 12 months rather than an exhaustive list of the hundreds of projects undertaken or underway. Joined by local members Seymour MP Cindy McLeish and Eastern Metropolitan Region MP Donna Petrovich, Mr Ryan said much had been achieved across the 32 impacted communities in the past 12 months and ongoing assistance would continue to help families and individuals rebuild their lives.
He said at least 77 per cent of the 1,500 households who lost their homes in the 2009 bushfires had rebuilt, purchased a new home or were in the process of rebuilding.
He added that 26 of the 40 businesses in Marysville had reopened and others were again showing interest and that the government had secured land to facilitate the development of a new hotel and conference centre in the town.
“While progress has been made, it is important to acknowledge that communities continue to recover at their own pace and emotional and financial recovery will still take some time,” he said.
“For this reason the Coalition Government introduced a number of new bushfire initiatives in 2011, many of which will continue into 2012.
“New programs include the $50 million voluntary Bushfire Buy-back Scheme which delivers on a key Bushfires Royal Commission recommendation, the $5.2 million Marysville and Triangle Economic Recovery Package, and the $2.7 million Bushfire Communities Support Program which was established to respond to the changing needs of affected communities.”