Resident in Mallacoota still without homes, five years on

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Five years after the black summer fires devastated the Victorian beach town of Mallacoota many residents are still without permanent homes. Along with the red tape surrounding insurance and approvals there's now a shortage of builders in the remote community prompting experts to call for a more proactive approach to disaster relief.

Transcript

00:00Justin Brady finds himself singing a different tune these days.

00:11The Mallacoota musician is living in a makeshift home amongst blackened trees

00:16as he fights to rebuild his life after the black summer fires.

00:20A few years ago I was just totally all at sea and didn't know what to look forward to

00:26because I was just still trying to deal with the grief of what I'd gone through.

00:31He was uninsured and struggled to cope with the trauma.

00:34And while an architect offered her work for free,

00:37he now can't find the tradesman to build his new house.

00:41All the builders in Mallacoota are pretty much tied up

00:44because there's just so much work to do after the fires.

00:47Justin Brady is just one Mallacoota resident

00:50who's had trouble navigating their way through the rebuilding of the town.

00:54In response, local caseworkers have been embedded here since the fires,

00:58advocating for those who've lost their homes

01:01and assisting with the bureaucracy of recovery.

01:04Support after an event is critical

01:06and we need to continue to do that for as long as people need.

01:09In between events is when we can really support communities

01:13to develop the resilience they need to be able to manage these events.

01:17Julie Parker is one of those who received help

01:20and is finally seeing results on her rebuild.

01:24I try to be optimistic about what's happening here

01:27because it's been a long haul.

01:29There's been a lot of delays and hiccups along the journey.

01:33While the community here is still recovering,

01:36there is a feeling of looking forward

01:38and future-proofing for emergencies to come.

01:41Having something like that to look forward to is really important, you know.

01:46Providing help where and when it's needed.

01:50There is a goal above,

01:55if you need help,

01:57you need to be able to get the energy .

01:59You canshow the energy and your ability to get through the community,

02:01to your community.

02:02Why don't you help yourself with any of these?

02:04Or, you can use it or you can let them be careful with any of these?

02:05Why don't you help us?

02:06Why don't you help you with your help?

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