Wednesday, 4 February 2026

 Annabelle CLEELAND (Euroa) (19:19): (1507) My adjournment this evening is for the Minister for Emergency Services, and the action I seek is to extend financial assistance to the individuals who stayed and fought the Longwood bushfire and to other communities across Victoria facing the same situation. Right now the very people who protected our towns are being locked out of support. They are literally being told that because they did not evacuate they are ineligible for state and federal payments. You almost have to say it twice to understand and believe it: the people who stayed to save homes, stock and lives are the ones being penalised.

We should have learned by now that this is how to respond to a bushfire emergency. When this fire tore through our region, locals did not wait to be told what to do. They did not turn away from smoke. They turned towards it. Farmers with slip-ons, utes, fire pumps, speed tillers, disc ploughs and earthmovers cut firebreaks through the night. These were private appliances and local people using their own machinery, their own fuel and their own time to build containment lines that stopped this disaster from becoming a catastrophe. Without them we would have lost far more homes, far more livestock and, frankly, more lives.

Here is the part that does not make sense to me: those same people are now being told they do not qualify for emergency payments because they did not evacuate, because they stayed and because they defended. That cannot be the test. As farmers you are not just thinking about yourself. You are responsible for animals, neighbours and entire properties. Staying to protect is not always reckless. For many it is instinct and it is duty. This courage cannot be underestimated. People like Callum and Deanna Artrage were rejected from support despite Callum being instrumental in saving homes, assets and livestock. Matt Tennant from TENEX Rail used his truck and heavy machinery to open roads so fodder could get in and communities could reach each other safely and then turned around and hauled 40-foot shipping containers into Ruffy to support the recovery effort, all at his own expense – not a single cent of fuel reimbursed. Katie Hill from Strathbogie spent a month donating her time and discounted livestock transport to help families move and protect their animals, yet she is also ineligible for any rebate. We have to look at this both ways, those directly impacted and those who have given everything to help others at significant personal cost – both deserve support. Ed Mercer, Ash Rowling, Cam Bassett, Will Johansen, Tom Plunkett, George O’Neil, Paul Brown and many others. Local businesses like Pro Turf, Rock Solid Civil and TENEX rolled out with equipment without hesitation. They did not wait for paperwork. They got in and helped like so many. If we have learned anything about natural disasters in this country, it is that government is too slow to respond and communities act first. We must back the people who back their communities, extend the grants, expand eligibility and recognise those who stayed and defended. Give those good locals a fair go.