More than one year after the devastating Black Saturday and Gippsland bushfires, those who lost secondary places of residence have not received help to rebuild, Shadow Minister for Bushfire Response and Leader of The Nationals Peter Ryan said today.
“Secondary home owners suffered emotional trauma and huge financial losses in the fires and they feel they have been deserted by the government and the Bushfire Appeal Fund,” Mr Ryan said.
“People generously donated to the Appeal Fund with the intention of helping all bushfire victims.
“Money is being withheld from secondary home owners because of the Commonwealth’s outdated tax laws which deem non-primary homes are ineligible for accessing donated funds.”
Mr Ryan said the Victorian Liberal Nationals Coalition had campaigned for secondary home owners to receive financial support, and the Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund (VBAF) had also expressed its frustration.
“VBAF is disappointed in the decision by the Commonwealth. It believes that without this change to enable it to assist secondary home owners, its ability to support the rebuilding of a number of communities may be compromised. Many of the secondary homes in affected communities may not be rebuilt without assistance from the Fund, and as a result the long term economic and social recovery of towns like Marysville may be significantly, if not, permanently undermined.”
VBAF official position statement
“About one-quarter of houses lost in the Victorian bushfires were those of secondary home owners, while in Marysville they account for half the community,” Mr Ryan said.
“Many secondary home owners were under-insured or, in some cases, not insured at all and without assistance they can’t afford to rebuild, due in-part to the extra costs associated with meeting new building requirements which amount to tens of thousands of dollars.”
Mr Ryan said the re-establishment of businesses, weekend homes and investment properties were crucial to the economic prosperity of bushfire-affected communities like Marysville.
“Premier John Brumby should make strong representations to the Federal Government on behalf of part-time residents,” Mr Ryan said.
“Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has the power to resolve this problem by making amendments to the charitable tax legislation, and must do so to ensure bushfire-affected communities are able to effectively recover.”
Media contact: Sonia Heath (03) 9651 8526
