Legislative Council Environment and Planning Committee
Inquiry into the 2026 summer fires across Victoria
Referred (Terms of Reference)
The Committee will inquire into the 2026 summer fires across Victoria including preparation and planning by Government, emergency services agencies, causes and circumstances of the bushfires, funding equipment and appliances for the CFA, the emergency responses, resilience of critical services and infrastructure, the impact on community business and agriculture, the impact on the environment, the impacts of climate change, the impact of misinformation, interjurisdictional support and lessons from previous inquiries, report and Royal Commissions.
Terms of reference
The terms of reference are instructions which explain what a committee has been asked to do, what topics it should focus on, and how its members will work together to achieve its shared goals.
Inquiry into the 2026 summer fires across Victoria
On 4 February 2026, the Legislative Council agreed to the following motion:
That the Environment and Planning Committee inquire into, consider and report, by 1 June 2026, on -
(1) the preparation and planning by government, emergency services agencies and the community ahead of the fire season, including management of public and private land and roadsides;
(2) the causes and circumstances of the bushfires, including climate change and the adequacy of the Government’s climate policies and actions, forecasts, warnings and public education on bushfire threats;
(3) funding, equipment and appliances for the Country Fire Authority (CFA), Fire Rescue Victoria and Forest Fire Management Victoria, and recruitment and retention of CFA volunteers;
(4) the emergency responses to control and contain the fires, including adequacy of resources and communications;
(5) resilience of critical services and infrastructure such as electricity, water and telecommunications during and after the fires;
(6) the impact on the community, business and agriculture and efforts to aid in recovery;
(7) the impact on the environment, including native wildlife, and any measures to better protect native forests, including technology for early detection and firefighting in remote locations;
(8) the impacts of climate change on the natural environment, which has resulted in more frequent and intense bushfires occurring in Victoria;
(9) the prevalence and impact of misinformation leading into and during the fire season;
(10) the interjurisdictional support into and out of Victoria leading into and during the fire season, including interstate and international deployments, Commonwealth support and relief efforts; and
(11) lessons from and progress on the implementation of recommendations from previous inquiries, reports and Royal Commissions