The initiative will support vital bushfire recovery projects such as track repairs, dangerous tree removal and repairs to damaged infrastructure in national parks and state forests.
The program has enabled recovery work to continue in regions devastated by the summer bushfires, and for important environment protection works to proceed.
Victorian Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio said the jobs would help improve vital environmental outcomes.
“Improvements to public land are vital not just for the environment but for the wellbeing of bushfire-affected local communities,” she said.
Water Minister Lisa Neville said the program would work towards reopening parks and forests.
“Improving the health of our waterways is so important for all of our regional communities, and work to reopen the parks and forests devastated by the bushfires is central to bushfire recovery efforts,” she said.
The workers will be employed across the state by DELWP, Parks Victoria and the Wimmera Catchment Management Authority.
DELWP has worked with agencies including Parks Victoria and catchment management authorities to identify jobs that can begin immediately with relatively little training.
Jobs Minister Martin Pakula said communities across Victoria had been hit hard by coronavirus, as they recover from the effects of bushfires.
“It makes sense to direct workers to where they are needed most, helping out regional communities while providing meaningful and rewarding work for people who have suddenly found themselves without a job,” he said.
Authorities will ensure that workers maintain required physical distancing and adhere to hygiene requirements to ensure safe operations across the state.
These roles build on hundreds of Working for Victoria jobs in rural and regional communities already announced, with hundreds more to come.
Working for Victoria matches people who have lost their job due to the economic impacts of coronavirus with employers that need staff, providing an avenue for a quick return to work and access to training where required.
More than 4300 people have been employed through the Working for Victoria program, which is part of the government’s $1.7 billion Economic Survival Package.
Job seekers can register their details at: vic.gov.au/workingforvictoria
