- 24 local governments receive grants in latest
round of Mitigation Activity Fund
- Funding will support more than 600 mitigation
activities to reduce bushfire risk
- Over $52 million allocated to 70 local
governments since program began in 2017
The Cook Government has
announced a $4.45 million program to support 24 local governments reduce
bushfire risk near their local communities.
Emergency Services
Minister Stephen Dawson said the funding would help these local governments
create new firebreaks and carry out planned burns when conditions are
suitable.
The 24 local governments,
located from Albany to Dandaragan, will share in the $4.45 million allocated
through the second round of the 2023-24 Mitigation Activity Fund (MAF).
First introduced in 2017,
the MAF supports local governments so they can manage high-risk areas of the
State. It is available to those with an endorsed Bushfire Risk Management Plan.
The latest round of
funding will pay for over 600 mitigation activities in the Great Southern,
South West, Goldfields-Esperance, Mid West-Gascoyne, Wheatbelt and metropolitan
regions.
Well-managed
mitigation activities reduce bushfire risks without adversely affecting the
environment, wildlife and ecosystems. These activities include
building fire breaks, reducing fuel loads and carrying out hazard reduction
burns.
In addition to mitigation activities the Cook Government is
investing more than $140 million into providing new equipment, resources,
personal protective clothing and facilities to support our frontline fire and emergency
services.
Local governments and
residents can visit https://www.dfes.wa.gov.au/about-us/rural-fire-division
for more information.
Comments attributed to Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson:
"We are facing a long,
hot and very dangerous fire season and the Cook Government continues to invest
in a wide range of measures to keep our communities safe.
"Local governments understand
the risks in their area better than anyone, so this fund is about empowering
them to choose where bushfire mitigation activities are needed most.
"We can't stop bushfires
from starting, but we can slow the speed and intensity at which they burn.
"Bushfires have always
been a part of life in our vast State, but a changing climate continues to
present new challenges.
"That's why bushfire
mitigation and management are becoming an increasingly important focus for our
Government and we will continue to invest in programs like the MAF that make WA
a more resilient State."
MITIGATION ACTIVITY
FUND - GRANTS PROGRAM
2023-24 Round 2
Allocation
