- 27 local governments to receive bushfire
mitigation funding
- More than 600 mitigation activities to boost
preparedness ahead of summer
- Nearly $57 million allocated since mitigation grants
program started in 2017
The Cook Government is
investing $4 million into helping twenty-seven local governments across Western
Australia prepare for the bushfire season.
Emergency Services Minister
Stephen Dawson welcomed the first round of grants in the 2024-25 Mitigation
Activity Fund (MAF) program, saying it was an important measure to reduce bushfire
risk and protect local communities.
The funding will be used to
conduct 635 mitigation activities in high bushfire-risk areas on State-owned
land managed by local government.
Mitigation activities include
mechanical treatments to reduce fuel levels, the creation of firebreaks and
planned burns.
The shires of Carnarvon and
Shark Bay will receive funding for the first time.
Funding is available to local
governments with a Bushfire Risk Management Plan endorsed by the Department of
Fire and Emergency Services.
Applications for the next
round of the MAF grants program are expected to open in August.
Comments attributed to Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson:
"Everyone
has a role to play in reducing bushfire risk. It's more important than ever
that local governments have the support that empowers them to protect their
communities.
"With a
changing climate, bushfire seasons are running longer and fire conditions are
becoming more challenging.
"The
Cook Government is investing an additional $140 million into equipping our
first responders to fight fires, and we're trying to make their jobs a little
easier with this mitigation program.
"There
were more than 5000 bushfires that were reported statewide over the last season,
burning out more than 9.5 million hectares - a significant increase on the 4017
fires and more than 2.8 million hectares impacted in the same time frame in
2022-23.
"Since
2017, the State Government has dispersed nearly $57 million to 72 local
governments to conduct nearly 7500 mitigation treatments."
Local
governments and residents can visit https://www.dfes.wa.gov.au for more information.
MITIGATION ACTIVITY FUND – GRANTS PROGRAM
2024/25 ROUND 1 ALLOCATION
