Disaster Recovery Programs Evaluation for Bellingen Shire Council

Summary and scope

This Project is intended to evaluate the effectiveness of some of the programs funded under the Disaster Recovery Fund (DRF) and Bushfire Community Recovery & Resilience Fund (BCRRF). From August 2019 until January 2020, Bellingen Shire Local Government Area (LGA) experienced one of the worst bush fire seasons in its history. By the time the last fires had been extinguished, Bellingen Shire had lost 22% of country with fires destroying 36,500 hectares of its total 160,000 hectares. The local tourism sector reported an income reduction from 40 – 60%, with smaller centres such as Dorrigo reporting a 70% loss. The LGA was blanketed in smoke from August 2019 to January 2020. Those bushfires, subsequent flooding in 2019-2020, and extreme rain events in 2021 and again in 2022 and the continuing COVID 19 emergency, have compounded the community's view that it is necessary to prioritise improvements in preparedness, and in responding to and recovering from disasters. The residents of Bellingen Shire recognise the importance of, and are committed to, the Shire being resilient, and it is reflected in the Shire's strategic priorities and plans. Specifically, Bellingen Shire's 2027 Community Vision (generated through a collaborative community-centred process) aims to create a community that is connected, sustainable and creative including, under the section entitled “Civic Leadership”, a focus on natural disaster and community resilience, as the community regularly is faced with flooding, fires, and other disaster events (Bellingen Shire Council, 2020). Compounding this is that some of the Shire’s residents are amongst the most disadvantaged in the country; the Federal electorate of Cowper, of which the entirety of Bellingen Shire exists within, has a poverty rate nearing 20% In 9 January 2020 the Federal Government announced an immediate payment from the Disaster Recovery Fund (DRF) of $1M to each of the 42 Councils most impacted by the 2019/2020 Bushfires. ? Bellingen Shire Council was a recipient of those funds, which was followed by a further allocation from the DRF of $225K in February 2020.?Further to this, Council applied for and was awarded $100k through Resilience NSW in the form of the Bushfire Community Recovery & Resilience Fund (BCRRF). While the DRF grant is focused on risk, response, recovery, and enabling growth in community resilience, the BCRRF grant emphasises stronger coordination and community driven recovery planning and action. Councils were encouraged to recommend locally devised solutions to enable recovery and build resilience. Community and stakeholder engagement supported the formulation of the Bellingen Shire program of DRF and BCRRF initiatives.