"It's like a developing country down there," Cobargo Recovery Fund president Zena Armstrong said in Canberra on Tuesday.

Grief counsellor Therese Kearney described her "eerie" visits to primary schools in East Gippsland last year, including Mallacoota where fire cut off the town and forced a mass rescue by sea.

"There was no children's noise on the playground. There was no joy, even in the play," she said.

"My solution was to try to allow the teachers to understand what was physically and psychologically happening in the children so they could help them to lessen their adrenaline levels."

Working with parents to help their children and themselves came next followed by COVID-19, which prevented her from working face to face in communities that were already isolated.

"Internet and wi-fi in those areas is horrendous, so even Zoom sessions were really hard," she said.

On the phone, when silences happened, she had to ask, "Are you thinking or are you crying?"

Still working for CatholicCare with people who have no housing, Ms Kearney found people had lost their feeling of security and belief in the bush and that had caused deep grief.

Vinnies' Canberra and Goulburn president John Feint said he expected to be working with communities for "three years, at best".

People are running out of rent assistance and having to return to their blocks, lacking toilets or adequate shelter.

"People are still coming forward," Mr Feint said.

"It takes some time for people to feel they can come forward and ask for assistance from us."

Cobargo's Ms Armstrong slammed "politically driven and partisan engagement" and called for proper resourcing rather than "misguided" tourism videos.

"We actually need people on the ground in the communities and that needs to continue beyond what is considered normal at the moment," Ms Armstrong said.

"A political approach is not working," she said, offering to bring together farmers, small business owners and hot yoga people.

"We need an inclusive approach, and we need to learn from all of these inquiries."

"We still don't know whether we'll get funding to rebuild our village," she said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison was heckled when he visited Cobargo during the devastating bushfires in southern NSW more than a year ago.

Cobargo Bushfire Relief Centre co-coordinator Christine Walters says the lack of housing is a physical and mental health issue with winter approaching.

"There are layers upon layers of difficulties that people face," she said, facing a funding cliff for her centre in June.

But Ms Armstrong said one "very striking" aspect of recovery in Cobargo and elsewhere is the leadership being shown by women and young people.

"New thinking is coming out of parts of the community and that needs to be acknowledged by anyone who is working in relief and recovery," she said.

Australian Associated Press