Supporting our neighbours – public land boundary fencing program
The Supporting Our Neighbours program is a $42 million NSW Government initiative to help bushfire affected landholders with the cost of rebuilding boundary fences adjoining public lands following the 2019/20 bushfires.
Continuation and Landholder Agreement Acquittals
Through the program, 4,561 applications were received and 3,473 funded, with nearly 8,500 km of fencing bordering public lands re-constructed. While the program has achieved some great outcomes, it has faced a number of challenges including COVID-19 impacts, severe storms, floods and prolonged wet weather and conditions. These challenges have resulted in some landholders being unable to meet contract timelines which were due in June 2022.
Due to the challenges faced, the administration of the program has been extended to June 2023, with landholders provided with options to finalise their contractual obligations including contract extension and returning of funds.
Supporting our Neighbours Program staff are available to discuss contractual obligations at fencing@lls.nsw.gov.au
What is the Supporting Our Neighbours fencing program?
Supporting Our Neighbours is a grants program to help bushfire-affected landholders with the cost of rebuilding boundary fences adjoining public lands.
Private landholders, including Aboriginal Land Councils, who share a boundary with public land and were impacted by the northern and southern bushfires between August 2019 & February 2020 were eligible to receive up to $5,000 per kilometer to contribute to the replacement of damaged boundary fences.
For the purposes of this program, public lands included:
- National parks
- Forestry Corporation land
- Travelling stock reserves
- Crown reserves, tenured roads & leases
- Roads managed by Roads & Maritime Services or local government.
Grants were able to be issued retrospectively to cover costs already incurred by landholders replacing fire-damaged fencing where a boundary is shared with public lands.