Last night the bushfire-affected community of Jingellic came together for a BBQ dinner and talk from service providers, one of their first steps in a long road to recovery.
But only around half of the residents in attendance were eligible for many of the government's emergency bushfire grants and programs, including the $75,000 Special Disaster Grant for primary producers.
Jingellic is on the border of two local government areas (LGAs), the Snowy Valleys and the Greater Hume.
The Snowy Valleys is one of 32 LGAs currently classified as 'Category C' and able to receive key bushfire relief grants, their Greater Hume Shire neighbours across the road are not.
Acting General Manager of Greater Hume Council, David Smith said they have been fighting to have their shire declared as a 'Category C' bushfire-affected area.
"At the moment we're being told an announcement will be imminent, but we've been told that for a number of days now," Mr Smith said.
Greater Hume Council is not the only shire with affected residents not yet eligible for grants, Wagga Wagga City Council residents impacted by the Dunns Road fire are also unable to access funds.
"Our argument is our residents have been just as impacted by this fire and the whole process needs to be looked at - funding needs to be based on an event, not confined to a local government area," Mr Smith said.
"The fire doesn't stop at the council boundary."
Mr Smith said he thought they had been overlooked because as a whole council area, only a small part had been affected.
"Looking at it, on a map, if you're sitting in an office in Canberra or Sydney and didn't know, you would think they haven't suffered much damage, but when you drive up here you see the residents that are in our shire, their whole livelihoods are gone," Mr Smith said.
Greater Hume Mayor Heather Wilton said the drip feeding of news from the government was only adding to stress and frustration council and their residents were feeling.
"I truly feel for people in Greater Hume who have lost practically everything in relation to their farming business and are still waiting for news on whether they can access the bushfire recovery grants," Ms Wilton said.
Jingellic farmers, Peter and Mary Hoodless lost 99 per cent of their grass, a wool shed, hay shed, around 700 bales of hay and have impacted stock.
The boundary of the Greater Hume and Snowy Valleys council actually runs through their property, yet classified as Greater Hume residents, they are not eligible for government funding.
"It's absolutely ridiculous," Mr Hoodless said.
"We can't apply for the $75,000 payment or $15,000 payment.
"We would go for those grants because it's important to be able to spend money in our local community during the recovery."
Victorian shire areas across the river from Jingellic have been declared 'Category C' regions and primary producers in those areas can access the $75,000 funding grant.
