NEW FUNDING FOR WOLGAN VALLEY FIRE CENTRE

Federal Member for Calare, Andrew Gee, today announced an additional $850,000 to upgrade and expand the Wolgan Valley Fire Shelter, secured thanks to the Australian Government’s Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grants Program.

Federal Member for Calare and Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Defence Personnel, Andrew Gee, said this latest round of bushfire recovery funding will help prepare the city for future emergency events.

“Wolgan Valley took a direct hit when the Gospers Mountain Fire tore through the region over the summer of 2019/20, and it was cut off from the rest of the community,” said Minister Gee.

“In the aftermath of that devastating blaze, I worked with the Wolgan Valley Association to get them federal funding to build the emergency centre, with a $990,000 grant secured through the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery program in 2021.

“Our region was devastated by the bushfires and recovery is an ongoing process which is going to take years. The grant funding started during the fires and has been going ever since.

“It’s great the Australian Government has now been able to secure more money to expand the project.

“This new funding will help transform the building into a fully functioning multi-purpose community centre, that will help bring the community together, not just in times of crisis. “There will be new toilets, a fully functioning kitchen and upgraded power and waste services, which will make the space much more usable for community events and fundraisers, functions, school activities and events to bring in tourists.

“The Wolgan Valley Fire Shelter and the refilling stations for fire-fighting vehicles, that we secured through $990,000 in the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery program, are critical pieces of infrastructure.

“Making the fire shelter more useable for more activities will benefit not just the Wolgan Valley community, but it will also be a boost for the wider Lithgow Local Government Area. “

Many people in our region are still doing it tough after the fires and our support for their recovery will continue for years to come. Part of that recovery is about bringing communities together, strengthening their resilience and cohesion, and that is what this project is about.

“It will also allow the region to better cater for tourists, providing an economic boost to the region.

“I’ll continue working with our communities to ensure they have the ongoing support to recover from the fires that they need and deserve,” Mr Gee said.

This $850,000 in additional funding is one of 524 community projects funded as part of the $390 million Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grants program. The Australian Government has added an additional $111 million to the program to provide extra support to those living in affected communities, including in the Greater Lithgow region.

The Black Summer Bushfire Recovery grants program is part of the $2.2 billion National Bushfire Recovery Fund. Initial funding of $990,000 was awarded to the project last year through the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery program. Both funding programs are part of an ongoing effort to assist communities to recover from the devastating 2019-20 bushfires.