Bushfire Buy-back Scheme
To improve the way Victoria prepares for bushfires, the government has committed to implementing all 67 recommendations of the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission.
In its final report, the commission noted that landowners in extraordinarily high-risk locations have little option but to re-build if they cannot sell and move on.
“But if they rebuild the risk to life and property returns; if they sell their land to someone else who then rebuilds the risk is merely transferred to someone else. Were they able to sell their land to the State, …, they could resettle elsewhere, and the problem of the risk would be redressed.”
The commission recommended that “the State develop and implement a retreat and resettlement strategy for existing developments in areas of unacceptably high bushfire risk, including a scheme for non-compulsory acquisition by the State of land in those areas”.
The Bushfire Buy-back Scheme has been developed to implement this recommendation.
Eligible properties for the Scheme will be determined by the following criteria:
- owner occupiers whose principal place of residence
- was destroyed by the Victorian bushfires in early 2009, and
- who have not commenced rebuilding, and
- a site is not available on the property that will enable a replacement dwelling to be located at a distance greater than 100m from forest vegetation, and that vegetation adjoins a large area of forest such as a national park, state park, state forest or private plantation.
Participation in the Bushfire Buy-back Scheme is voluntary. Properties will be identified as eligible and owners of those properties can decide for themselves whether to proceed.
Consultation
Landowners whose place of residence was destroyed in the 2009 bushfires were invited to attend an information and consultation session to comment on the intended approach to the Scheme. Comment was also welcomed from the broader community.
80 sessions were held in 12 regional communities and the Melbourne CBD from Thursday 10 November to Friday 9 December.
Application process
Applications will be open from 1 March 2012 to 31 May 2012.
The Bushfire Buy-back Scheme application form will be available on this website in mid February.
If you are a landowner who lost their principal place of residence during the early 2009 fires and would like to register to be sent an application form, you can call (03) 8685 1314 or email bushfirebuyback@justice.vic.gov.au.