BY IAN CROUCH
Muswellbrook Shire Council is hoping to hear this week if its Natural Disaster application review has been successful.
A planned meeting with Emergency Services Minister, Jihad Dibb was brought forward after the NSW Reconstruction Authority knocked back Council's application to have the August 23 earthquake declared a Natural Disaster because it didn't meet the criteria.
Part of the reason the declaration was refused is because council included damage to sports infrastructure which is not allowable.
Mayor, Jeff Dryaton says council's claim for damage to roads and infrastructure alone meets the required threshold of just under a quarter of a million dollars, and the minister is supporting a review of the decision.
"He was of a view that there may have been a bit of misunderstanding on what could and couldn't be claimed or accepted by Local Government to be able to meet that threshold, and certainly we're confident now we can meet that threshold and have that natural disaster declared," he said.
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| Muswellbrook Mayor Jeff Drayton |
