15 May 2026
Cleeland slams bushfire recovery failures as families freeze
The Nationals Member for Euroa, Annabelle Cleeland MP, has delivered a scathing condemnation of the Allan Labor Government’s handling of the January 2026 bushfire recovery, accusing the government of abandoning fire-affected families while communities remain trapped in limbo four months after disaster struck.
Speaking in Parliament during a Matter of Public Importance debate, Ms Cleeland detailed what she described as a catastrophic breakdown in disaster recovery services following the Longwood bushfire, which burned more than 136,000 hectares, claimed one life and destroyed hundreds of homes, sheds and farming properties across the region.
“Families who have lost everything are still waiting for cleanup, still waiting to rebuild and still waiting for this government to treat them with the dignity and urgency they deserve,” Ms Cleeland said.
“We are heading into winter with people still living in caravans, sheds and tents because Labor’s recovery response has been dysfunctional from day one.”
Ms Cleeland said only 28 homes had been cleaned up in the four months since the fires, despite more than $112 million being announced for recovery efforts. She compared that to the Black Summer bushfire response, where 736 properties were cleared within seven months under a universal cleanup program.
“At the current pace, it will take years to clear the fireground. That is not recovery. That is abandonment,” she said.
Ms Cleeland also raised serious concerns about the operation of Emergency Recovery Victoria’s two-tier cleanup model, which excluded insured properties from the state-run cleanup program.
“The Royal Commissions following Black Saturday and the 2020 national disaster inquiry were crystal clear that recovery programs must be voluntary, trauma-informed and equitable,” she said.
“Instead, families have been pressured into signing away rights over their own properties while others have been completely excluded from support.”
During the speech, Ms Cleeland shared the story of Michelle from Longwood East, who said she was denied the opportunity to search through the rubble of her destroyed home for her grandmother’s diamond necklace before contractors removed the debris.
“That necklace represented generations of memories and family history. Discovery has been standard practice in every major cleanup program since Black Saturday, yet this government failed to even provide that basic level of compassion,” Ms Cleeland said.
She also revealed correspondence from a fire-affected resident in Ruffy who alleged she was pressured by an ERV representative to either sign cleanup documents immediately or risk being removed from the program entirely.
Ms Cleeland called on the Allan Labor Government to immediately:
- Reinstate a universal cleanup program for insured and uninsured residents
- Extend the landfill levy waiver until at least the end of 2026
- Deliver fast-tracked like-for-like rebuilding permits
- Provide three-year council rate exemptions for impacted residents
- Introduce dedicated business recovery grants
- Regional Tourism marketing strategy
- Fund modular housing options ahead of winter
- Establish long-term, on-the-ground mental health services in fire-affected communities
- Deliver dedicated environmental recovery funding for the Strathbogie Ranges
- Release full financial transparency around bushfire recovery spending.
“Regional communities are resilient, but resilience should never be used as an excuse for governments to walk away,” Ms Cleeland said.
“These families stayed, fought for their communities and are determined to rebuild. They deserve a government that fights just as hard for them.”