Australia’s Brushfire Recovery Funds May Be Used for Coronavirus Response
Just weeks ago, the recovery from Australia’s wildfires was the biggest challenge facing tourism. How quickly times change.
The National Bushfire Recovery Agency can not guarantee the funds set aside by the government to aid in the bushfire restoration will not also be used for the coronavirus response.
As Labor raises questions about the access to grants and loans for those impacted by the summer bushfires, and the government acknowledged the need to shake up the bureaucratic process, the fate of the money already set aside for the bushfire recovery, particularly the tourism funds, remains up in the air.
After a meeting of state tourism ministers last week ended in no formal guarantees, the $76m set aside to help disaster-stricken regions recover from the tourism hit would be increased to deal with the added impact of Covid-19. The National Bushfire Recovery Agency itself has been unable to confirm the already announced funds won't be used for broader purposes.
