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Over $300K in recovery grants awarded in flood-impacted areas of Victoria

Menchie Khairuddin November 7, 2023

2 min read

In partnership with Suncorp and AAMI, FRRR has awarded $300,781 in grants to 18 remote, rural and regional not-for-profits (NFPs) in Victorian communities impacted by the flooding events that took place between October 2022 and January 2023.

Suncorp Group pledged $1 million to FRRR in 2021 for a dedicated Rebuilding Futures program – to support Australian communities impacted by significant natural disasters.

This is the third round of the Program and with these grants will have distributed over $1 million.

“We’re pleased to provide support to a range of different community groups and local not-for-profits that are run by people who know and understand what it is their community needs in order to rebuild,” said Suncorp Group CEO Steve Johnston.

The grants awarded range from $4,040 to $20,000 and will be used for a range of projects from building community infrastructure and improving emergency facilities, to youth activity programs and community workshops – all high-priority projects for their local community.

Johnston highlighted that the grants would help support community-led recovery in the impacted areas.

“Australia is no stranger to natural disasters and unfortunately I’ve seen all too often the devastation and emotional toll they have on our communities,” said Johnston.

“That’s why we are supporting affected Victorian communities through the Rebuilding Futures program – to not just build back but to build back better than before, making them even more resilient,” he said.

“These communities have been through a lot, and we know that recovery from severe weather events can sometimes take years. We also know that each community’s priorities during that recovery is different.”

Nina O’Brien, Disaster Resilience and Recovery Lead at FRRR, said this round of grants is further confirmation of the long-term impacts of natural disasters.

“In this round of grants, we’re seeing projects that are about building community amenities and improving infrastructure but there’s also an emphasis on initiatives that are about building community resilience and promoting social wellbeing.”

“It’s nearly a year since the floods first started and so this just goes to show that the impacts of floods are long-lasting and go far beyond the physical damage that’s caused.”

Among the 18 projects funded this round are:

Alpine Multi Skill Group in Bright – Construction of a dedicated cabin workspace for volunteers, members, and the local community, which will support Alpine Multi Skill’s community development work and collaboration with the Men’s Shed – $19,750
Echuca Moama Broadcast Service Inc in Echuca – Upskill the community radio volunteers, enhancing their ability to broadcast during and outside times of emergency disasters to support community safety and wellbeing – $4,040
Kerang and District Community Centre Inc in Kerang – Build resilience in Kerang through an inclusive arts program aimed at connecting people through positive creative activities – $10,000

“The floods have had a huge emotional toll on the people in these communities, yet they’re still determined to build back and become even more resilient than before, which really is inspiring to see. Thanks to the generous support of Suncorp and AAMI, we can help them to do just that,” said O’Brien.

Menchie Khairuddin

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Menchie Khairuddin is a writer Deputy Content Manager at Akolade and content producer for Third Sector News. She is passionate about social affairs specifically in mixed, multicultural heritage and not-for-profit organisations.