Rebuilding Together Recovery Plan launched by Prime Minister in Flowerdale

Today was a very special day for Flowerdale and all bushfire communities. The Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Premier John Brumby launched the Statewide Recovery Plan for the Victorian Bushfire Communities at the Flowerdale Primary School.

Kevin Rudd launches the statewide plan

John Brumby talks about the recovery and plan

The plan included

• The Community House Grant of $1.7m
• A new kinder and Maternal/Child Health centre at the School $2.2m
• A Skate Park, location to be agreed
• An upgrade of the Community House
• A Fire Safety Plan and Program
• Revegetation
• Strategic Land Use Planning across Flowerdale and Kinglake Ranges $0.5m (described as "Development of Detailed planning and design strategies..... with close community consultation)

It should be noted that these are the first tranche of projects. Work is continuing on Communications and Water/Sewage. We have already raised the issue that we would like transport to be added to the current plan. The FRC is continuing to explore renewable energy.

Given it is the night before Hoof Over Hills the FRC will do a detailed comparison of the Government Plan to the Original Recovery plan and report back over the course of next week.

See online the Community Recovery Plan a Flowerdale Fact Sheet
together with an Interactive Map with details of all Communities.

Overall it is a good result for Flowerdale and great recognition for the community to have the plan launched in Flowerdale and for the Chairman of the Flowerdale Recovery Committee, John Burgess to be invited to stand up front with Messrs Rudd and Brumby and Christine Nixon.

A lot of hard work has gone into the plan, with the community meetings and the compilation of the Recovery Plan by the Recovery Committee. On the government side VBRRA has been doing a lot of work across many areas, a good example is driving the "One Postcode" project. The relationship with VBRRA does reflect the title of the plan "Rebuilding Together"