The Victorian Legislative Council’s Environment and Planning Committee has launched an Inquiry into the 2026 summer fires across Victoria, with a report due by June 1.
This inquiry will examine preparation, response and recovery arrangements, as well as the broader policy and environmental settings influencing fire risk across the state.
For Victorian farmers and regional communities, this is a critical opportunity to ensure that the lived experience of agriculture is front and centre in the parliamentary process.
The Committee will consider:
- Preparation and planning ahead of the fire season, including management of public and private land and roadsides
- Causes and circumstances of the fires
- Funding, equipment and resourcing of CFA, FRV and Forest Fire Management Victoria, including volunteer recruitment and retention
- Emergency response capability and communications
- Impacts on rural communities, agriculture, and recovery efforts
Farmers are often:
- First responders on the ground
- Directly impacted by roadside and public land fuel loads
- Reliant on critical infrastructure during emergencies
- Disproportionately affected by stock losses, pasture destruction, fencing damage and long recovery periods
It is essential the Inquiry hears clearly about:
- The realities of fuel management on both public and private land
- The effectiveness or ineffectiveness of current mitigation strategies
- Barriers to practical, on-ground preparedness
- Impacts on farm businesses and regional economies
- Lessons learned from this season
VFF Is Seeking Your Feedback
VFF will be preparing a submission to the Inquiry and is calling on members and rural communities to provide:
- Personal accounts of fire impact
- Feedback on preparedness and response
- Issues relating to public land and roadside management
- Infrastructure failures (power, water, communications)
- Recovery challenges
Your input will help ensure the agricultural voice is strongly represented.
Help shape VFF’s submission to Parliament and Send your input to [email protected] by 5pm March 9 2026.