I have written today to the Chief Minister of the ACT, Mr Jon Stanhope to inform him that the Commonwealth will provide a further $1.5 million for two initiatives to assist ongoing ACT bushfire recovery efforts.
The additional funding will be made available for the following projects:
The provision of $1 million to assist ACT softwood sawmills, given the loss of their primary source of logs in the fires. This measure includes the upgrading of the IFP mill at Hume to enable it to be used as an alternate source of logs for processing.
A contribution of $500,000 to help promote tourism in the ACT, recognising the severe impact of the bushfires on the local tourism and hospitality industry.
Importantly, the additional assistance for the softwood sawmills will contribute to retaining local jobs in that particular industry.
The Commonwealth will also continue to work with the ACT on further developing proposals to improve the emergency communications system and to re-green the ACT.
These initiatives are in addition to the assistance measures announced previously, and to the standing Natural Disaster Relief Arrangements (NDRA). Under the NDRA the Commonwealth will, above agreed thresholds, meet 50% and then 75% of the costs to the ACT Government of providing concessional interest rate loans and grants, replacing essential public assets and counselling services.
There has been close cooperation between the Commonwealth and the ACT in the aftermath of the January bushfires. As these further initiatives demonstrate, we are continuing to work with and to assist the community through the recovery and rebuilding process.