The fence might be finished. The recovery might not be. And the people still carrying the impact deserve more than an opportunity to tell their story again.
Recently, travelling through the bushfire affected communities of Murrindindi and Strathbogie on the Cuppa & Conversations tour, I heard conversations that gave me real hope.
One person had a kilometre of fencing left to finish. Someone else was preparing to move into a new home. Another was looking forward to a temporary home with more room than the caravan they had been living in.
Those are significant milestones. Behind them are months of work, difficult decisions, setbacks and people finding the strength to keep going.
But there were other conversations too.
Conversations about isolation, declining mental health, uncertainty and frustration. People who were exhausted by what still lay ahead. People who felt that the further decisions were made from their community, the harder it became to have their circumstances understood.
At times, people described feeling unseen and unheard by higher levels of government.
We need to be willing to sit with that.
When someone tells us they don’t feel heard, our first response should be curiosity about what has brought them to that point. Their experience matters, even when it is difficult for a system or an organisation to hear.
Having Your Say Needs to Lead Somewhere
There is a difference between being invited to speak and knowing your contribution has influenced a decision.
People can attend a meeting, complete a survey, explain their circumstances and leave still wondering whether anything will change.
For someone already carrying the demands of recovery, that uncertainty adds more weight.
How many times do they need to tell their story? Who is responsible for following it up? When will they hear back? What happens if their circumstances don’t fit the available support?
These are reasonable questions.
People deserve clear answers, including when the answer is difficult. If something cannot be done, explain why. If a decision is delayed, tell people what is happening. If responsibility sits elsewhere, help them reach the person who can act.
Every unanswered question leaves someone carrying the uncertainty.
The Principles Need to Reach the Paddock
The updated National Principles for Disaster Recovery recognise the importance of community knowledge, priorities and participation. They acknowledge that recovery changes over time and that communities have different needs and circumstances.
That provides a sound foundation. The responsibility is to make those principles meaningful in people’s lives.
A community centred approach needs to be evident in how decisions are made, how support is delivered and how concerns are answered.
It needs room for the person who is too exhausted to attend another meeting. The family whose circumstances fall between eligibility criteria. The volunteer quietly holding things together who hasn’t had time to ask for help.
And it needs to recognise that a consultation held months ago cannot tell us everything about what a community needs today.
Listening is an ongoing responsibility.
Frustration Carries a Story
Some of the conversations I have are uncomfortable.
There is anger. There is disappointment. There are questions I cannot answer and problems I cannot fix.
I try to remember that I am hearing a moment in someone’s life, with months of experience behind it.
A delay that looks manageable from an office may mean another stretch in temporary accommodation. Another form may arrive when someone has no energy left to complete it. Another unanswered call may reinforce their feeling that they have been forgotten.
We need to understand that context before judging how someone expresses their frustration.
People should be able to raise concerns without feeling they are being difficult or ungrateful. They can appreciate the help they have received and still need something to change.
Both can be true.
Local Commitment Needs Support Behind It
I have seen extraordinary commitment from local people, volunteers, community hubs and services.
People who know who is struggling. People who make the calls, organise practical help, open the doors and keep returning.
I am privileged to be welcomed into these communities and to work alongside people who care so deeply.
But I worry about how much some of them are carrying.
When we praise community resilience, we also need to ask what resources are behind it. Who is sharing the workload? Who is supporting the people others turn to? How long can they reasonably keep going?
Their dedication deserves practical backing from the levels of government with the authority and resources to help.
Local relationships are essential to recovery. Sustaining them takes investment, coordination and a willingness to respond to what local people are saying.
Accountability Is Part of Care
This is written with community at the centre.
I recognise that there are committed people across government and recovery services working hard in difficult circumstances. I work alongside some of them and see the difference they make.
That makes it even more important that the systems around them respond well.
To those making decisions at higher levels of government: spend time where recovery is happening. Ask what people are still waiting for. Hear from those who have stopped coming to meetings. Follow a concern through the system and see what it takes to get an answer.
Then tell the community what you have learnt and what you will do with it.
Trust grows when people can see a connection between what they have said and what happens next.
Keep Asking About the Person
A rebuilt fence matters. So does a new home, a repaired road or a reopened business.
But visible progress cannot tell us the whole story of recovery.
Behind those milestones are people who may still be exhausted, grieving, uncertain or struggling to see a way forward.
Capacity Before Crisis also means recognising the opportunities to build capacity during and after crisis. That includes strengthening relationships, reducing unnecessary burdens and making support easier to reach.
Communities are already doing an enormous amount.
They should not have to spend their remaining capacity convincing decision makers that their experience matters.
They deserve to be seen, heard and taken seriously.
And they deserve to know that when they speak, someone with the ability to act is listening.
Reference: National Principles for Disaster Recovery — Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience