$100m in bushfire fund still unallocated

Three months on from Victoria's devastating bushfires, more than $100 million is still to be allocated from the bushfire relief fund.

The fund, set up after 173 people were killed on February 7, now has $351 million in it with over $240 million allocated so far.

The figures were revealed in Wallan, Victoria, by Premier John Brumby and fund chair John Landy on Thursday, as they announced $9 million to help get bushfire survivors through a tough winter.

The Winter Needs Grant will see $2,000 automatically paid to people who have already received payment for destroyed or damaged homes.

"The grant will go towards essentials for our bushfire survivors this winter from heaters, blankets and new winter clothing to covering the cost of gas and electricity bills, having insulation installed or buying up materials to make home improvements on temporary housing," Mr Landy said.

It is expected up to 4,000 people will receive the grant.

Another $1 million has been set aside to support local community winter events.

"The community grants can be used for anything from film or roast nights to concerts or dancing," Mr Landy said.

The aim of the community grant was to help fight loneliness and create a community spirit, Mr Landy and Mr Brumby said.

Each of the bushfire communities will receive between $5,000 and $25,000 to run the events.

Mr Landy said unallocated funds will be spent on long-term projects.

"There's a lot of possibilities going on there, we've got the community situation which we're looking at very closely, there are other long-term problems in terms of health and there's the one with the orphans that we're working on now," he added.

Meanwhile, Mr Brumby said he would not comment on the day-to-day revelations at the bushfires royal commission but he was confident it was doing its job.

Commission hearings started this week with allegations on Wednesday that on the day after Black Saturday emergency services believed no one had died in Marysville.

It was later discovered 34 Marysville residents died in the February 7 fires.

Mr Brumby said he could not remember what he was told about the situation in Marysville at the time.

"I would need to check my records on that," he told reporters at a bushfire-related announcement in Wallan on Thursday.

"My recollection on the Saturday night listening to the radio, was hearing Marysville was burnt but people were down on the oval and there were no lives lost."

He said he spent most of the Sunday in the car visiting affected areas and could not remember when he was told about the devastating losses in Marysville.

While he has read the evidence that has been presented to the commission this week, he did not want to comment further.

"I'm not going to be in a position to comment on a daily basis on what is in the commission," Mr Brumby said.

"We need to get all the facts, all the information - where things worked well, where systems failed.

"All of this will be to ensure all the recommendations we get from the commission ... are designed to ensure that the tragic loss of life on February 7 is never repeated in the future."

Mr Brumby stressed $110 million was provided in last week's state budget to improve communication systems for emergency services.