Communities Left Waiting as Bushfire Recovery Systems Fall Behind

23 January 2026

Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland says serious delays and communication failures across government agencies have compounded the trauma faced by communities recovering from the Longwood bushfires, as concerns mount over the resourcing of emergency and recovery systems.

Ms Cleeland said these concerns have been heightened following the delayed release of the government’s 2024–25 annual reporting, which indicates $55.5 million in funding cuts to the Country Fire Authority over recent years.

“At a time when bushfires are becoming more frequent and more destructive, the resourcing of our fire services matters,” Ms Cleeland said. “Communities expect their emergency services to be properly funded and supported, not constrained by budget decisions made far from the fireground.”

Ms Cleeland said while communities moved quickly to respond and support one another, government systems struggled to keep pace with the urgency on the ground.

“What people experienced was not just the devastation of fire, but the frustration of waiting for systems that were meant to support them,” she said. “When recovery is delayed, the burden falls back on people who are already exhausted and grieving.”

Ms Cleeland said many farmers reported waiting more than a week before receiving initial contact from Agriculture Victoria, leaving them without guidance at a critical time.

“For some farmers, it took nine days to receive a phone call,” she said. “That delay matters when people are trying to assess losses, manage injured or destroyed stock, and make decisions under immense stress.”

She said communication breakdowns between departments were evident throughout the early recovery phase, creating confusion and unnecessary distress.

“When grant programs were first announced, entire towns and localities were missing,” Ms Cleeland said. “People who had lost everything were left believing they were not eligible for support. That uncertainty caused real and avoidable harm.”

Ms Cleeland said while eligibility issues have since been corrected, the emotional toll of those early failures should not be underestimated.

“These are not administrative errors on a page,” she said. “These are real people, lying awake at night, thinking they had been forgotten.”

She said the complexity of grant processes continued to be a major barrier.

“Accessing support has been far more complicated than it needs to be,” Ms Cleeland said. “In a disaster, systems must adapt to people, not the other way around.”

Ms Cleeland said the contrast between the community response and government systems had been clear.

“Communities moved quickly, with compassion and leadership,” she said. “Government processes did not move with the same urgency.”

She said she would continue pressing the Victorian Government to ensure recovery support is delivered quickly and practically.

“This recovery is far from over,” Ms Cleeland said.