The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) is set to help landholders in bushfire-affected areas repair damaged fences between private land and National parks and forests.
Minister for Agriculture, Jaclyn Symes announced funding which is set to give more flexibility to farmers looking to replace or upgrade boundary fences to make them fire-resistant and better able to exclude pests.
“The Government will pay half the cost of these boundary fencing upgrades, up to $5,000 per kilometre,” Ms Symes said.
“The Government will also continue to pay 100 per cent of the restoration costs of fences damaged on private land as a result of machinery used by fire agencies to control bushfires, or fire agency staff cutting through fences to allow access for suppression efforts,” she said.
“A dedicated fencing coordinator in DELWP will help landowners decide what option will suit them and arrange payment.”
Ms Symes said Agriculture Victoria encouraged landowners to engage the services of local contractors to help boost local jobs.
She said an assessment of the property and the fence damage must be completed before works were undertaken or any payments could be made, and landholders would continue to pay labour costs and half the cost of materials.
