Wednesday, 20 March 2024

Ministers statements: Mirboo North storm recovery

Gayle TIERNEY (Western Victoria – Minister for Skills and TAFE, Minister for Regional Development) (12:40): Last weekend I experienced what Mirboo North residents call ‘the magic of the Boo’. This very special Gippsland community, four weeks on from the 13 February storm and grieving the loss of their local natural beauty, is still casting its spell. Huge pockets of soaring trees, so important to the town’s identity, have been lost – lost in a way cameras never can quite capture, because how do you photograph an empty skyline? But I can report that head contractor works are well underway. A community recovery committee will design the next phase of recovery, and there are clearly very capable leaders for this task. A spontaneous volunteer group has assembled one of the most sophisticated operations I have ever seen, with spreadsheets and whiteboards to direct small clean-up works, complete with their mascot Bruce the greyhound.

Testament to their perseverance, the town is pressing ahead with the annual Mirboo North Winterfest. I can announce today that in a boost to local business a regional development grant will help ensure the Winterfest can proceed. The regional development portfolio will also invest in a new community and business resilience hub complete with reliable satellite internet, solar panels, food and medical cold storage so that in any future emergency the town is never again totally cut off from power, communication to the outside world and emergency supplies. This is a special grant from the Labor government’s Tiny Towns Fund, which supports the unique character of Victoria’s smallest townships, including in their most difficult times. Thank you to the community of Mirboo North for your generosity. I have absolute, enormous respect for all of you.