Bushfire recovery support for Aboriginal Victorians

Find out more about the bushfire recovery support options available for your community.

We have implemented a dedicated line of recovery called Aboriginal culture and healing to better support Aboriginal Victorians affected by disaster.

The Aboriginal culture and healing line of recovery guides us and our recovery partners to embed Aboriginal self-determination into their service design and delivery, ensuring that Aboriginal Victorians inform appropriate and targeted recovery responses.

Grants

Aboriginal community mitigation and crisis management grants

Aboriginal Community Mitigation and Crisis Management grants seek to address unmet needs in strengthening Aboriginal communities’ resilience against natural disasters.

These grants are closed. Thank you to everyone who submitted applications.

Bushfire recovery grants for Aboriginal communities

The Bushfire Recovery Grants for Aboriginal Communities program delivered $4 million to cultural heritage and community support programs which assisted the recovery of Aboriginal communities affected by the bushfires.

Two streams of the program allocated funding to:

  • Cultural Heritage Recovery ($1.86 million), and
  • Aboriginal Community Support ($2.33 million).

This grant program is funding projects that assist Aboriginal communities to maintain their cultural connections and further build resilience.

Bushfire Recovery Support Program

If you are an Aboriginal Victorian and would like support recovering from the bushfires, please call 1800 560 760 and press ‘1’. The Recovery Support Worker will be your single point of contact, helping you navigate services, filling out paperwork, accessing financial support and more.

Support services

VACCA Bushfire Recovery Program is part of the new Victorian Bushfires Case Support Program funded by the Victorian State Government and will connect you with the relevant services in your region.

Gippsland & East Gippsland Aboriginal Co-Operative Ltd (GEGAC) has a Bushfire Recovery Program that provides case management support to Aboriginal community members in Gippsland and East Gippsland who were affected by the devastating 2019–20 bushfires.

Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) is Australia’s only national institution exclusively focussed on the diverse history, cultures and heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australia.

You can also access services through CoHealth, Windermere, Gateway and Gippsland Lakes Complete Health.

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