I read with interest in the latest Bellinger Courier Sun that Bellingen Shire Council was one of 42 councils across the country to receive over a million dollars from the Federal Government in January, 'to help quickly rebuild vital infrastructure and strengthen community resilience' in the wake of the bushfire emergency.
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Bellingen Shire Council has chosen to spend most of the money on placing the Bellingen Shire in a better position to deal with 'future disasters'.
At their April meeting councillors endorsed projects categorised as 'Community Preparedness for Emergency' to the tune of $675,000.
I'd have thought that all the money was meant for 'recovery efforts' - to provide immediate relief to enable all affected from the damage caused by the bushfires to recover quickly.
In our shire, particularly the western end of it, the damage was extensive. Some people lost their homes and many land holders had farm buildings, fences and animals destroyed and many local businesses suffered financially.
The money given by the Federal Government was surely meant to help these people.
The Federal Government has been giving money to various people and bodies with the instruction to spend it quickly in order that Australian people can recover quickly.
The money given to local councils was meant to do the same not to be squirrelled away for sometime in the future.
Now, with the COVID - 19 virus, it is essential that all these people get assistance now, not sometime later.
Margaret Hooper, Fernmount
