Tuesday, 3 February 2026

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Regional Development) (13:56): I move:

That this house:

(1)   extends its condolences and deepest sympathy to the Victorian communities affected by the recent and ongoing 2026 bushfires;

(2)   praises the work of emergency services personnel for their courage and sacrifice in fighting fires and protecting our communities;

(3)   expresses its deep gratitude to the many volunteers and community members who have supported friends, neighbours and anyone else in need; and

(4)   pledges to continue to work with communities and all levels of government to support and rebuild fire-affected communities.

I begin my contribution by expressing our collective thanks and deepest gratitude to everyone that has been involved in the response to the devastating fires that have impacted so many corners of our state. We also acknowledge and grieve for those who have lost homes, sheds, businesses and stock, cattle, pets and wildlife. I would also like to deeply acknowledge farmer Mr Maxwell Hobson of Terip Terip, who lost his life in the Longwood bushfire, and I extend my deepest sympathies to his family and all who knew him.

There is widespread devastation across northern Victoria, in my electorate and those that share it in this place. There are so many heartbreaking stories of loss, but alongside there are inspiring examples of towns and properties that were saved. One of the first people that I spoke to in early January was Matt Fowles. His retelling the story of the fierce, fast and ferocious fires that led to the heartbreaking loss of his family home, livestock and treasured vineyard was extraordinary. He came so very, very close to saving his house, but cruelly, this was a fire that was persistent. It was ongoing, and ember attacks ultimately took his home too. To hear him talk of how grateful he was that his family were safe and that the winery facility had successfully been protected by the CFA was wonderful, and he has reflected on the enormous generosity of hundreds if not thousands of people that have reached out to him to help. There was similar sentiment in Alexandra about the humble CFA volunteers. They shared with me how they saved their town. They were so very disappointed that they could not save all the houses in the area, but this was not a fire where this was possible. But what they did for the township was truly incredible. To captain Chris Lynch, deputy Haydn Simpson and surrounding brigades and strike teams, you should be so proud. Executing the plan of sector commander Jay Williams, they held their line and they faced the monster.

It is an incredibly difficult time for so many local communities. I know many have been out there visiting, and it is just so heartening because in the face of disaster you see the very best of people. The enormous community activation has of course been unsurprising. We expect this from our communities, but it is also phenomenal. Members from impacted communities were joined by neighbouring communities and supported by local councils and endless agencies, fuelled by volunteer power and an unwavering pursuit of helping those in need. I have seen people rolling up their sleeves to tackle the challenges at hand, whether preparing meals for our incredible volunteers, repairing fences or helping neighbours to get back on their feet.

I want to acknowledge the wonderful Longwood Football Netball Club president Rick Shiner, committee members, team members and the locals. The club there has always been an anchor for support and advice, but in this time of need it really got going. It was a hub of activation, the point of donations. They were coming right across the state, with big representation from large centres, particularly Shepparton. A shout-out to Azem Elmaz, well-known humanitarian and tireless community champion, who is now known in Longwood as ‘our chef’. Can I personally thank Bec and Myra from the Kilmore hospital, who filled my car with items in response to a community call for specific supplies. To those who worked day and night from Jean’s kitchen, ‘Thank you’ does not feel enough.

I have seen so many tired and exhausted faces, yet everyone tells you it is just what you do. The Ruffy community has come together during this incredibly difficult time as one of the most impacted communities. The community hall overflowed with supplies for those that have lost everything. Special thanks to remarkable individuals like Anne Douglas, Colleen Furlanetto and Felicity Sloman, all of whom have shown outstanding leadership, among others. In Ruffy I spoke to Captain George Noye. He told an incredible story about how he fought that night to save his own house and others in Ruffy whilst he drove across multiple properties to get to another CFA volunteer who was stuck. This was local knowledge – going through back paddocks in the safest way to get to those in need. His actions ensured that people were brought back to safety. And then they went back out again on their trucks – just such dedication to their role in the CFA.

From the earliest days there were those at relief centres, so many council reps, volunteers from near and far and those prepared to drop everything to help with the rawest of loss, comfort those experiencing trauma and uncertainty and step in to assist with some of the individual needs of every person who came through the doors, even those with pet dingoes, as I saw in Seymour. Thank you to Sam Hicks, the Fawcett Hall president, and her team. They are the champions of community-led recovery, ensuring those impacted areas in Murrindindi are heard, connected and supported based on what people say they actually need, not what it is assumed they need. The mantra at Fawcett Hall is ‘Small community, big heart, strong as ever’ – wonderful humans looking out for one another. There are countless communities and stories such as this from Corryong to Yea, from Harcourt to Streatham.

As the relief transitions to recovery, we have dedicated hubs and recovery centres to ensure people can get the tailored assistance that they need – housing options, mental health services, financial support, insurance help. These are the best places, alongside the helpline, to get the latest advice on the support measures that have been announced by the government. That is providing $370 million of funding – costs shared with the Commonwealth government, and I thank them for their assistance. This ensures that people can clean up, that they can get temporary accommodation and that their mental health and financial needs are met. This cannot remove the trauma. It cannot immediately rebuild burnt homes, but it can offer valuable support to people at their greatest time of need.

I am also pleased that the government has been able to step in for the Harcourt coolstore. Those of you that have been to Harcourt know you cannot miss this facility. It is an amazing facility, and they will rebuild. There is a $500,000 allocation to assist with the co-op. The destruction of that facility has impacted so many small producers and so many people that I have met in my time, particularly as agriculture minister, including winemakers and just amazing produce producers. And of course, if you are able to, make sure you support some of the impacted businesses through purchases of stock online or other avenues; they would surely appreciate it.

I will take the opportunity to acknowledge that so many local members have been out and about. Ministers have been to every impacted area, and I make a particular acknowledgement of our Minister for Emergency Services Vicki Ward. As someone who has previously been in the role, I know the demands of the role. What she faced is significantly more than I did in my time, and she did not stop, so I thank her for that. I know, and I know many of you who have experienced natural disasters in your electorates know, one of the best things you can do is turn up. You learn way more on the ground when you are talking to impacted people about what they need and how they are feeling and making sure that you are directing them to the right places to navigate the services that are available. Listening and understanding is just integral for these communities.

For those whose electorates were directly impacted, we saw their MPs stand up next to the unpaid community members, using their connections and platforms to help agitate to get things moving quicker. I particularly point to Euroa MP Annabelle Cleeland, who has lost so much herself but was there every day with her community. Kim O’Keeffe used her years of community service to work with the Shepparton mayor and locals to mobilise an enormous food drive. Maree Edwards has so many impacted friends, those that she has known for many years in Harcourt, and I know her support will continue. And I know there are many other MPs that have been ensuring that they are there for their communities.

I found the contribution today incredibly difficult to write. I put down a pen last night about midnight when I could have kept going because there are so many stories and there are so many people to acknowledge. I give a commitment that I will not stop talking about this event. Recovery has a long tail, and there will be many opportunities to acknowledge people long after the last donation is made. We will stand there with communities. We will keep talking about them. This is a journey that government understands is lengthy, and we will continue to be with those in their recovery every step of the way.

On that note, there are a couple of further individuals I will note. I have definitely missed people, which is why I have committed to come back, but I do want to particularly acknowledge Greg Murphy. He is known to many. I met him in his role as Emergency Management Victoria’s manager of aviation and logistics. He was the man that would meet me at the airport and point out the aircraft that were secured each year to assist with our firefighting efforts. He is a long-time Kilmore CFA volunteer, so he is local to me as well. But in January this year he became known for his work in the incident control centre. His actions and his words undoubtedly saved lives. As the catastrophic conditions were bearing down on the communities in the area, he used his voice and people listened. They appreciated his direct and honest communication. He stood in the Seymour relief centre speaking to hundreds of people in person and online to deliver what people needed to hear. I will read a direct quote from what he said:

Despite our best efforts today, we were not able to control this fire. Tomorrow, we’ve got no chance.

Our job is to help people. Tomorrow, we might not be able to.

His words and warning were heeded – people left. He is undoubtedly the reason that we did not lose more lives.

I also take the opportunity to thank our wonderful emergency services leaders for their contribution to the fire response: Jason Heffernan, Tim Wiebusch, Chris Hardman, Gavin Freeman and Alistair Drayton and their amazing teams across the state in control centres, in incident control centres and in local brigades, units and ground teams in many areas of the state. Hundreds of CFA volunteers came to help. We had reinforcements from Canada and interstate. They all came down to help, and I thank them for that. I met in particular some of the Northern Territory firefighters in Longwood. This was the first time that Northern Territory had been activated to come to assist in Victoria. As I was thanking them for their appearance and their assistance, they were thanking me for the opportunity. They were so grateful to be here, so grateful to be standing next to others in a mammoth task of supporting communities.

Of course we know that CFA people are amazing volunteers, and I want to thank them immensely for their efforts. I am deeply grateful for their continued hard work and dedicated service. I particularly want to acknowledge that many CFA volunteers actually lost their own homes whilst fighting the fires as well. I also want to acknowledge, encourage and really appreciate those that are considering joining the CFA. Following the Get Fire Ready campaign in October, and this is when the messages were starting to come through that the experts knew that this season was going to be one of the worst since Black Saturday, over 600 people put in expressions of interest in joining the CFA. We know that these events often generate more and more interest. In a time when people are time-poor and have difficulty in being able to volunteer, seeing these numbers come through, seeing the interest in joining the CFA, I am just so pleased and thank those people for considering putting their hand up to offer their time to protect their community.

Last night at 10 pm I received a text message from Minister Ward’s office advising that the Longwood and Walwa fires are both officially contained. Whilst we can all have a collective sigh of relief, hopefully that is not short-lived. We know that there is much more of summer to go. I thank all of those that have stepped up, I thank all of those that will continue to step up and my efforts and the government’s efforts will be there in the long days, months and years of recovery.

 Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (14:12): I begin by thanking the Leader of the Government for bringing this motion to the house today and for the opportunity it gives us as a Parliament to extend our deepest sympathy to the Victorian communities affected by the recent and ongoing bushfires. As ever, these fires are not a distant or remote story, a headline or a statistic. Many of us have our own stories to tell, and the impact of past bushfires has echoed through generations of our history. My own grandfather was burnt to death while sheltering in a culvert during a bushfire near Darlington in western Victoria many decades ago, and to this day that place is still known locally as Murchs Corner. It is a reminder that fire leaves its mark not just on the land but on families and memories too. These fires are the latest in a long and painful history but nonetheless devastating for that.

There is no doubt of the shocking scale of the fires. These figures will continue to grow, sadly. But to date, early assessments show sheep farmers have suffered the heaviest losses, with just under 32,000 sheep killed. In total, livestock deaths now exceed 41,000 animals, including poultry, beef cattle, bees, goats and horses. More than 110,000 hectares of farmland have been affected. With that has gone pasture, fencing, machinery and sheds but also high-value horticulture crops and forest plantations. One estimate places livestock losses alone at around $20 million, but even that does not capture the real damage. We know in many cases this is not simply a financial loss. Sometimes generations and many decades of breeding have disappeared overnight.

Over recent weeks I have attended community fire recovery meetings in Beaufort, Streatham and Skipton. They were, unsurprisingly, packed. People were there not to give or to listen to speeches but to look for practical answers and often to support themselves and to offer support for others. In particular the topics that mattered most were clean drinking water for their families and for livestock, insurance issues, fencing, livestock care, mental health, power, roads and what support would still be there in six months time. Those meetings were a real reminder that when the flames go out the real work for recovery is only just beginning. Communities are grateful for immediate help, but they are particularly asking for support that lasts.

It was in that context that, with Liberal leader Jess Wilson and my colleague Joe McCracken, I went to visit Streatham, Carranballac and Skipton. We stood in scorched paddocks and walked past blackened fence lines. I am particularly grateful to the Faye family for showing us the impact on their farm and their family. Thankfully, they were able to save most of their property, but they explained the massive strain they now face in restoring their farming operation.

In Carranballac we saw the remains of the cricket clubrooms. In fact sheets of metal were flying off it as we stood there. In a city or a suburb that might sound like just another building, but in a small rural town it might be all there is in a community and for the community. It is where people meet, where fundraisers are held, where children celebrate, where neighbours gather and where people play sport. In places like Carranballac there is not a choice of places – there is one. When it is gone, the community feels that loss incredibly keenly.

The motion before us rightly praises emergency services personnel, and I add my voice to that. We thank our brave firefighters and emergency services workers for their courage on behalf of all Victorians affected by this crisis. Every volunteer and every emergency services worker on the front line put their lives and the wellbeing of others ahead of their own. Many did so while their own homes and families were at risk. Some were even burnt to ground while those volunteers were at the end of a hose elsewhere. In Carranballac we heard from Westmere brigade captain Pat Millear about the extraordinary contribution made by hundreds of private firefighting units largely owned and operated by farmers – not happy, I might add, with having the burden of another tax imposed on them.

Here I should also mention that one evening in Colac I was able to thank Peter Marshall’s United Firefighters Union members, whose taskforce supported the effort in the Otway fires and in many other fire-affected hotspots across Victoria. On one occasion, when the volunteers in one area were so exhausted, I rang Peter asking for extra help, and within minutes it was offered.

This fire season has brought out some of the best in people. We have seen our country’s values of bravery and selflessness on full display. The great Australian tradition of volunteerism was inspiring. The generosity was flowing. The kindness seemed unending. In fact on our tour at times it felt almost awkward to be accepting incredibly generous hospitality from the very people who were struggling as a result of the fires. but that is how incredibly good-hearted people are.

I want to add on recovery that in Skipton the burden is heavier again. This is a town that has already endured flooding. Recovery was already underway when fire arrived. Recovery piled on top of recovery is harder. It stretches families, local governments and services further each time, and across my region of Western Victoria these fires and floods have come on top of farmers and communities enduring drought of the worst kind since 1900. At community meetings in Beaufort, Streatham and Skipton, people particularly noted what follows the fires. Cash flow was a constant concern. Stories on insurance payouts were mixed. Some people have already been helped, others are still waiting, some are discovering gaps they did not know existed. For farmers and small businesses, months without income can be as damaging as the fire itself. The cash required to replace fencing and machinery, to fund replanting and to gather in new breeding stock and the associated inputs is a huge barrier to overcome before they can start earning one dollar again.

I should say here that we heard positive stories too. Local councils have worked together in ways that deserve recognition. Corangamite, Pyrenees and Ararat councils shared information and resources and worked closely together to help their communities. In Skipton, the Corangamite Shire Council hosted a packed community information centre that brought agencies and residents together in one place. It made a real difference. Jess, Joe and I also greatly appreciated a briefing from the Corangamite shire about what is now needed so desperately in that community. We also heard positive feedback about Powercor’s response in parts of the region, which is something that deserves to be noted.

Community recovery groups have also been vital. Megan Read and Deb Bain have been tireless advocates in the Skipton–Streatham area, helping families navigate complex systems often made harder by bureaucracy that should be streamlined, and they are making sure that people do not fall through the cracks, constantly ringing up members of their community daily to see that they are still okay. I also want to acknowledge Susie Marro, a farmer from the Ripon area who has been helping to move livestock and deliver provisions to fire-affected families. She did it because someone needed help. That spirit has been everywhere in these communities. We also had honest conversations about issues like roadside vegetation and fuel management. Councils told us they had raised ongoing concerns about the condition of roadsides and the difficulty of managing them under the current bureaucratic, overburdensome rules. These are not abstract issues when you are standing beside a burnt-out fence along a public road.

In conclusion, this motion rightly does four things: it extends our condolences to those who have suffered, it acknowledges the courage of our emergency services personnel, it thanks the volunteers and neighbours who stepped forward and it commits this house to stand with communities through recovery. Those are not abstract sentiments. For Victorians across our state they are a test of whether Parliament will remain present long after the smoke has cleared. In particular we honour the thousands of volunteers – CFA, SES, service clubs, BlazeAid, recovery groups and ordinary neighbours – who put others ahead of themselves. I also want to mention the farmers from far and wide across Victoria and even interstate who have donated desperately needed fodder for starving livestock that are left on burnt fields. Utes with one or two bales of hay along with B-doubles have been travelling in convoy to farms with not a blade of grass left but with hungry mouths to feed. We must also remember those who have lost so much, and especially cattle farmer Max Hobson, who is believed to have bravely stayed to defend his property and livestock but who tragically died in the Longwood fire near Seymour.

Finally, what I heard – and heard again and again – is that recovery is not a moment but a long process measured in months and years. This house and this motion cannot undo what has been lost, but we can honour those affected by ensuring that our sympathy today is matched by sustained support tomorrow and into the future. For that reason I support the motion.

 Sarah MANSFIELD (Western Victoria) (14:25): I rise to offer condolences to all of those impacted by the devastating bushfires that have been raging across Victoria for weeks now. For the loss of Max Hobson, the cattle farmer who died in fires in central Victoria, I offer my deep sympathies to his loved ones. For the over 340 people who have lost their homes and hundreds more who have lost their farms and livelihoods, for the entire towns who have lost everything, for the tens of thousands of farm animals killed, for the countless native animals and hundreds of hectares of habitat decimated once again, for the thousands of Victorians who were displaced, who suffered health impacts from the smoke and stress, who experienced fear and uncertainty and whose previous trauma from fires was triggered, the losses are immense and the road to recovery will be a very long one, as has been acknowledged. The threat of fires is not over yet, with out-of-control fires still burning in different parts of the state, including in the Otways in my electorate, and the peak of the bushfire season is yet to come.

It is an absolute credit to emergency services, CFA volunteers, councils and local communities that the losses have not been greater. Firefighters have worked tirelessly, putting their lives on the line to save the lives and property of others, as they have so many times before and inevitably will have to do again. I have also been fortunate to witness the incredible way people have come together to support those who have lost everything – the couple who filled a fridge with sandwiches at the Colac relief centre, the many community members who put together care packs for CFA firefighters, the farmers who shifted fodder around to those who needed it, the people who offered up their homes for those who needed somewhere to stay, the wildlife rescuers who cared for countless horrifically injured animals. The generosity and compassion that people showed have been so heartening.

But these fires were not an accident. We cannot acknowledge the immense losses of the fires without also acknowledging the role of climate change. We are now living with the consequences of unmitigated burning of fossil fuels – consequences we have long been warned about. Fires have always been a feature of Australia, but these fires were different. The scale of these fires was immense and on par with some of the most devastating bushfires we have seen, with many first responders characterising the speed and ferocity of these fires as unlike anything they had ever experienced. They came off the back of a prolonged dry spell, and in many areas drought, and were preceded by one of the worst heatwaves ever.

In the past two decades Victoria has had some of the most devastating fires on record. In the past 10 years we have experienced the 10 hottest years for the planet since global records began. Yet in the week between the start of the fires and those apocalyptic flash flooding events along the Surf Coast in Wye River, there was an approval by the federal government of an expansion of a coalmine in Queensland. Just before Christmas, state and federal governments approved new oil and gas projects in the Otway Basin, right across from communities who would in the coming weeks experience devastating fires and floods. For so many people in these communities who I have spoken to in the aftermath, the disconnect of governments is difficult to fathom and only adds to their distress.

We cannot accept fires of this magnitude becoming the new normal. 50-degree days were unthinkable in my childhood summers, as I imagine they were for everyone here. It is devastating to think that unless something changes dramatically days this hot and fires of this intensity and worse will become a regular feature of my children’s summers. Our forests and grasslands have a remarkable capacity to regenerate and in fact have always needed fire to do this, but our ecosystems are struggling to recover from repeated fires of this scale and intensity, and climate change is fuelling and accelerating the biodiversity crisis. We should not have to keep asking firefighters and volunteers to risk their lives in increasingly dangerous conditions, and our communities should not have to keep shouldering the cost in loss of lives, loss of wildlife and nature, loss of homes and livelihoods, skyrocketing insurance, displacement, healthcare costs and more, all because governments keep gifting the land and waters of this country to fossil fuel corporations and failing to make them clean up the climate damage that they are causing.

Vale, Max Hobson. My deepest sympathies go to all of those who have lost so much. We owe it to you who have lost so much to do everything we can to stop it from happening again.

 Gayle TIERNEY (Western Victoria – Minister for Skills and TAFE, Minister for Water) (14:30): I rise today to extend my deepest condolences and sympathy to all Victorian communities affected by the devastating January 2026 bushfires. I also recognise the fact that in terms of Western Victoria we had the long tail of a drought and then we had the most recent fires, then we had the floods and then we had the fires again, and we are only in the early days of February, so we are all bracing ourselves in terms of what the next series of events might be in Western Victoria. But it was not just Western Victoria that was impacted as a result of bushfires. In terms of central Victorian fires around Wodonga and Albury there were also significant issues. Of course Longwood, Harcourt and Ravenswood have been hit hard, as were Rocklands, Ruffy and Natimuk, which we will hear a little bit more about in Ms Ermacora’s contribution. Also impacted were Grass Flat, Underbool, Streatham, Mount Mercer, Skipton, Lismore and Lara Lee north of Camperdown, and there were the fires around Carlisle River in the Otways, including Kennedys Creek, Gellibrand, Kawarren and other small communities. So there were a lot of communities impacted as a result of bushfires in the most recent weeks. Families, farms, businesses and communities right across these areas have been profoundly disrupted, and they will continue to be disrupted for a significant period of time. I also would like to join with others in the chamber as we mourn the loss of Mr Maxwell Hobson, and I extend my sincere condolences to his family and friends. There are no words that can ease such a loss, but this Parliament stands with you in your grief. To those who have been injured while defending homes and properties and livelihoods, I wish you a very swift recovery.

Damage right across Victoria is still being assessed, and that will take time. There are still areas that are on fire. The fires have been classified as contained, but there is still fire under the ground. We know that, particularly with Western Victoria, because of the peat that is in our soil fires sometimes go for many months, and we have had occasions when that has happened reasonably recently. The estimates at the moment indicate that 400,000 hectares of land has been impacted and around 43,000 stock have been lost. Countless numbers of native wildlife have also been affected, and more than 1500 buildings have been destroyed. For farming families, these losses represent years of work, generations of stewardship and of course deep personal grief.

The other thing that I just want to mention is the fact that while we talk about land being impacted and homes being impacted, the impact on mental health is incredibly significant. For those that have not been in fires but have seen it on your TV screens, you see the flames and you see what the fire has left, but in terms of actually being in a fire, no-one can underestimate a number of things. Firstly, there is just the unknown – not knowing which way the wind is going to turn, the force of that wind and what the repercussions are going to be. You cannot plan for too much, but you can prepare a hell of a lot to try and deal with the situation that is potentially heading your way. The other thing is just knowing that fires are different at any given time. It could be a very, very, very fast grassfire that takes your breath away in so many ways that you cannot count. Also there is that thundering roar of a fire that scares the bejesus out of you as you know it is coming towards you but you cannot necessarily see it because it is tucked in a valley from behind. These are the things. It is not just the property loss and the monetary loss. It is those things that you have gone through in a fire that will be with you for a long, long time. It is absolutely incumbent on people to speak up and to have those issues dealt with.

I want to pay tribute to the firefighters and the agencies right across Victoria who have been involved in supporting the broader emergency management sector. They have worked around the clock. We know that they have been on rosters. We know that we have had support from overseas and interstate, but no-one can fathom the dislocation that all of that has caused to the families that have been supporting those that have been helping out.

I also pay tribute to the local incident control centres and the way that local government has really worked incredibly well in their connection with the local ICCs. I have not heard one person yet say that the whole situation has not been handled well or that the response to the bushfires has not been really good. There might be some in days to come that might say ‘Gayle, hang on’, but the fact of the matter is, regardless of where people have come from or their political persuasion or their personal circumstances, that has been the feedback that I have received, and it has come without any prodding. It has come very easily.

I acknowledge the tireless efforts of Fire Rescue Victoria. I will call out the individual organisations. Victoria Police has been amazing. The CFA has been outstanding. The SES has been unbelievable. VicEmergency and emergency recovery hotline staff – I cannot praise them enough. Of course Agriculture Victoria has been out there, boots and all, providing advice and assistance. To all the other departmental staff that have not just been out there on farms and in communities but also on the desk making sure that people are okay, thank you for the work that you have done.

I equally want to express my profound gratitude to the organic volunteers, some of whom have never volunteered before but just wanted to be involved and help other people in their community; the charitable and community organisations who stepped up without hesitation – it was absolutely amazing to see; and of course some of the evacuation centres that I attended, all of which were different but were providing the necessary supports that were required. The last one I went to had 150 people, and that was just prior to being told that some of those communities could return. The Colac Showgrounds were very popular because people could house their cherished pets and their livestock, and we saw anything from horses to sheep to golden pheasants at that location. It was great, and it was very powerful to see a reminder of what community really looks like when it is under enormous pressure. I want to also do a call-out to the Colac Lions Club, who did an amazing job; Sikh Volunteers Australia, who provided free food; and the Salvation Army, who staffed many of the relief centres and fed people. They checked on neighbours and cared for animals. Organisations like these are the glue that holds our communities together.

I also want to acknowledge the generosity of Victorians who donated goods, money, time and expertise and who have shown deep concern and care for people who they have never met. Victorians always show their very best in times like this. As others have mentioned, recovery will take time, it absolutely will take time. But the fact of the matter is I think all of us are absolutely committed to making sure that we stay strong and continue to work together through the adverse conditions that people now are under and that many will continue to deal with.

It is pleasing to note that the Albanese and Allan governments are standing with communities that have been impacted by the bushfires, recently delivering a further $160 million in support, building on more than $210 million that has already been announced. That includes relief drinking water for those who rely on tanks, emergency recovery support, accommodation assistance, support for fire-affected businesses, funding to rebuild critical local facilities, repairs to public land and waterways, prolonged power outage payments and up to $1500 in water tank cleaning rebates along with mental health and wellbeing support. The Victorian Farmers Federation, in partnership with Agriculture Victoria and water corporations, has enacted an emergency fodder support program to ensure surviving livestock can also be fed. These measures reflect a shared commitment that no community faces recovery alone. Finally, the Victorian Emergency Relief and Recovery Foundation has launched the January 2026 Victorian Bushfire Appeal, and goods and services can also be donated through GIVIT. I encourage those who can contribute to do so.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you to every single person who has stepped up during these challenging times. This government pledges it will continue to work with communities to support and rebuild fire-affected communities. We will be on the ground listening and responding and standing with Victorians for the long recovery journey ahead. And finally, to those who have been so badly affected, please stay strong. It is tough, but we need to stay strong and we are with you. We want to stay with you as we work through the issues that confront your communities.

 Joe McCRACKEN (Western Victoria) (14:42): I concur with all the well wishes and the positive sentiment that has happened so far. I rise to talk on this motion about the fires over the summer months, and I want to particularly focus on my electorate of Western Victoria. Firstly, I will touch on the Otway fires. As a former mayor of the Colac Otway shire, I feel like I know the Otways pretty well. These were largely bushfires as opposed to open plain grassfires. I was talking to one of my former teaching colleagues from the school I used to work at the other day, and her brother and her sister-in-law had lost their home. It just struck me – how would any of us in here react if our home was there one day and the next day it was a pile of rubble? What would you do with all your things? Where would you go? What would you do? How do you rebuild a life like that? That is the challenge that they are facing. But they did not lose their lives and they did not lose the lives of their children. Their story is not an uncommon one throughout the Otways.

One of my former council colleagues on the Colac Otway Shire Council Chris Smith and his family stayed to protect their property and indeed the property of adjoining neighbours as well. It was not easy, and Chris was posting regularly on social media about all the things that he was up to. He had long, long, long days and very deeply challenging situations that he was dealing with, and sometimes the smoke was so bad that he just could not see what was going on. But I have got to say the outpouring of support, both on social media and indeed in person, was just phenomenal. To Chris and Maree, your family and many others, I want to say we stand with you now, not just in the adversity that you have faced but also on the long road to recovery as well. Chris and Maree are just one example of the stories of courage, bravery and community spirit on display throughout the Otways region.

The fires in Skipton, Streatham and Carranballac were indeed more of the flavour of grassfires. They spread quickly, they went fast, fuelled largely by wind, and they deeply impacted the communities surrounding them. Yes, those communities might be small in number, but they are huge in stature and they stand together proudly. I am proud to stand with them too. I visited many residents in the area with my colleague here Mrs McArthur and also Leader of the Opposition Jess Wilson. We listened, we heard and we understood the immense strain and toll that people are experiencing, and it is huge.

In these times we see the best of humanity come to the forefront. One of my good friends, who was mentioned before, Susanne Marro, a farmer near Waubra – which, to be fair, is a fair distance away from Skipton – out of the goodness of her own heart organised food and bedding to be donated and then took it upon herself to deliver it all the way down to the Skipton recovery centre. I want to say a huge thankyou to Susie and people like Susie that have gone above and beyond just to make a difference. There are many more people like Susie that stand shoulder to shoulder with fire-affected communities, and they do it because they want to support their fellow community members. There is nothing in it for them whatsoever other than to give back. When you think about all the challenges that our farmers have been through recently, to give back when you do not have much in the tank to give is truly remarkable.

I want to pay tribute to all first responders and volunteers. Many of them have been faced with incredibly difficult situations and confronted with situations I would have found incredibly difficult to deal with, but they have responded efficiently, quickly and with great care and compassion. To those who have suffered loss, know that you are not standing alone. We stand with you. Do not be afraid to reach out if there is ever any need that you find that you might have. Country people always stand together – we always have and we always will.

I do want to put on notice insurance companies. I have been watching very carefully, and I expect to see fair treatment of anyone making claims. I have heard mixed reports. I think in a crisis like this our insurance companies have an obligation to treat people with absolute respect but also absolute fairness. I will be watching and raising concerns as they arise and as they are given to me.

The risk of fire is nothing new in country Victoria, and over the years country people remember fires almost like battle scars. We in this place have an obligation to do all that we can to manage those risks, be it supporting and properly resourcing our first responders, whether it is conducting planned burns or simple things like reducing fuel loads. These are critical in minimising risk and reducing potential loss of life, because at the end of the day, this place – this Parliament – is about people: the people that we serve, the people who are out there who have been fighting fires and gaining battle scars, the people in harm’s way, many of whom themselves, in their own personal circumstances, face tremendous loss and have indeed experienced that loss. We cannot let these circumstances go by without acknowledging that more can be done, that change is needed to support our volunteers and first responders. It is not an ‘if’; it should be a ‘must’ and a ‘when’. I commend this motion to the house and I support it fully, and my heart goes out to every single Victorian that has experienced loss throughout these bushfires.

 Rachel PAYNE (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (14:50): I too would like to rise and pause to reflect on the devastating bushfires in our state. The impact of these fires on our local communities, on wildlife, on farmers and on businesses is beyond comprehension. We are especially thinking of the loved ones of farmer Max Hobson, who lost his life in these devastating fires.

Bushfires are destructive and fierce, and this January we saw blazes tear through over 400,000 hectares across this state. I too have seen some of my dear friends lose everything in the Longwood fire, including their property, which has been in their family for generations – six generations, I believe – and the devastation that they are experiencing they cannot even speak to right now. It was a property that has been not only part of their generations but part of their make-up in their community for a very long time.

On behalf of my colleague David Ettershank and everyone at Legalise Cannabis Victoria, I want to honour the fact that the mental and emotional impact of losing your home and your livelihood cannot be overstated. It is also a very triggering time for people who have survived other bushfires, and we want you to know that we are thinking of you. I especially want to acknowledge the collective power and resilience of community, who have come together to support one another, from volunteering to provide food and shelter and to help with clean-up efforts – and it is a massive clean-up effort – and fundraising and rolling up your sleeves to deliver hay bales for livestock through to those who rescue and rehabilitate our native wildlife.

There will be time for discussions about climate change. They are important discussions to have. There will be time for discussions about fire readiness and adequate funding – again, imperative discussions to have – and we will be fulfilling our duty as crossbenchers to ask those questions of the government and seek resolution on some of those questions. But for now we simply send our love to all affected and an enormous thanks to the many volunteers and firies who have showed up, even when many themselves are devastated and exhausted. Your commitment to your community and your bravery in the face of adversity are unwavering. I am relieved to hear that some of these fires are under control, but we are in the middle of summer and hot summer days are to continue, and we all must take care and follow all of the emergency advice. We must look out for each other and for our wildlife. Stay safe, and please reach out for help when you need it.

Sitting suspended 2:54 pm until 3:13 pm.

 Jacinta ERMACORA (Western Victoria) (15:13): I rise also to offer my contribution on the motion in relation to the Victorian bushfires so far this summer. We knew it was going to be a challenging summer bushfire wise, and that has definitely been the case. I also wish to extend my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Mr Max Hobson, a cattle farmer who tragically lost his life in the Longwood fire near Seymour in central Victoria.

I also want to acknowledge the contributions so far in the chamber and in particular those who acknowledged the history of fire trauma in families. People close to me have experienced the same. It is very thoughtful to acknowledge that people who have experienced previous fire are re-traumatised during this time and that the loss of someone like Max so suddenly and unexpectedly is devastating for a whole community, not just family and friends. The fires that swept across our state this summer were truly terrible, and their impact will be felt for a very long time. For my region of Western Victoria multiple areas were impacted – the Otways, as Minister Tierney mentioned; also Skipton, Streatham, Foxhow, Lismore and Natimuk, which includes Grass Flat and Quantong. A large number of other small communities – I have not named them – were also impacted by the fires.

I did visit Natimuk with the Premier a few days after the fire went through. There was still smoke coming from logs on the roadside as we arrived. That is where we saw the trauma and the loss. It is very easy to see the losses in Natimuk – you only need to drive down the main street and get to the western end and you will see houses just burnt to the ground – but also the resilience. Residents spoke to us about how terrifying the fires were and how quickly the fires moved through the landscape. In this case it is a grassy landscape or a cropping landscape, so it categorises as grass from a fire perspective. At Natimuk it took less than an hour for the blaze to traverse 10 kilometres, tearing through the land like a fire torch. One person mentioned to me that they believed it was 15 minutes between ignition and structures starting to burn. It was so windy. It was a blisteringly hot wind. The subsequent winds after the fires have also blown topsoil away, presenting ongoing challenges for farmers. Those blistering gale-force winds starting as north-easterlies inevitably swung around – randomly to northerly, then north-easterly, then westerly, then south-westerly and then sometimes southerly – depending on the particular circumstances on the day and in fact the particular weather conditions that hour. Sometimes that swing-around happened within minutes; other times that swing-around took a few hours. Not knowing how or when the fire would turn was quite unbearable for communities facing a smoky plume on the horizon and, worse still, near their area. Overall these fires claimed the life of Max Hobson, caused many injuries and resulted in immense loss of property, livestock and wildlife.

I want to focus my contribution on volunteers and volunteer firefighters in this condolence motion as well. Volunteers are spread across the CFA and the SES, whether they are catering, whether they are transferring equipment or whether they are involved in incident control centres and other areas within the fire response. Many volunteers leave their own communities, their own jobs and their own farms to conduct themselves to do this volunteering. I think it is really easy for our broader community sometimes to assume that nothing would have happened had they not volunteered, in their businesses or on their farms, but that is not actually true. There are people from farming backgrounds in this chamber, and they will know what I am about to say. Many urban-based members of the Victorian community see farming landscapes but do not often see the daily work – morning, noon and night – that goes into managing those farming enterprises and therefore they could not possibly know the extent of the cost and the impact that volunteering and being absent from your business, sometimes for up to six weeks on and off, can have. I have seen that not just with these fires but with the fires in the Grampians last year and the Grampians the year before as well. Many routine tasks like water infrastructure being checked are perhaps not done while farmers are away, fences are not fixed, bills are not paid and fodder is not distributed. Crop-sowing timelines are often delayed. Animal health treatments like drenching are delayed. Application of fertiliser and other soil management actions are delayed.

All of these tasks, plus many others, would have been completed on these properties had there not been fires, so I want to acknowledge and say thank you to volunteers who give up so much of their time and their energy and to acknowledge not only the risks they take but also the impact on their businesses and the cost of being involved in volunteering for their communities. They are out fighting fires, not knowing if their own homes will still be there when they return. We know that it is not an uncommon experience for volunteers to return and discover that their homes have been lost.

In closing, I want to say thank you to volunteers for their local knowledge and for their dedication to community safety. I am very honoured to have had this opportunity to say thank you while speaking in support of this motion.

 Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (15:22): I appreciate the opportunity to stand with the Nationals and support this motion following the bushfires that impacted communities across Victoria. Amid warnings of a catastrophic day, I started the day in the early hours of the morning, packing suitcases with photo albums for safekeeping. The wind was howling and the heat was intense. The watch zone on the VicEmergency app started to ping. There were two fires, one in Harcourt, the other in Axe Creek nearby. My phone continued to ping, this time with texts from close friends offering a place for us to stay if we needed it. We had dinner in town, in Bendigo, with our dog and caught up with Jen, a close friend of our daughter’s. Her home was in Harcourt, and at the time she did not know if it was okay or not. What followed was a sleepless night at a friend’s place, looking for updates and hearing news from local residents and friends on the ground with the CFA. We heard the sad news: confirmation that Jen’s family home had been destroyed. Others we knew who had been away at the beach in just board shorts and thongs had lost everything.

At the recovery hub in Castlemaine I saw some familiar faces. It was Tyrone, a CFA volunteer for nearly 50 years, and his wife Raewyn, who is also part of the CFA. They were out fighting fires when their family home was destroyed. The sacrifice of CFA volunteers is incredible. Local brigades stepped up to support one another, sometimes facing smoke so thick that they could not see their truck just metres away, going from working a full day in their business to facing a 12-hour shift or more. Their dedication not just during the fires but in responding to car accidents and medical incidents and attending training throughout the year is to be commended. They do not do it for the pay packet; there is none. They do it because they are part of the community and they want to protect it.

I went to a local CFA station to hear members debrief and heard about the issues they faced with radio communication, with trees exploding above them and with cabs too small for the crew to fit in – just a fire blanket on the back to shield them when the fire rolls over. It is these issues and many more that I hope this Parliament will address, because the impact of these fires is felt by the community not just for days or weeks but for years. The Coolstore cafe, where I dropped in just weeks before, was destroyed alongside coolstores that were the lifeline of businesses in the region, storing produce worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. They were no more.

The nightmare continued. I was speaking with residents without drinking water – their tanks had melted and were full of holes. Livestock were in desperate need of water and feed. These needs on a local level were multiplied across the state. I spoke with Aksal, a young man who was out fighting fires in Yarck, who spoke of the devastation surrounding Alexandra. I particularly want to acknowledge my colleagues, especially Annabelle, who has been dedicated to serving the local community despite facing her own challenges as fires destroyed their farm and damaged their home. A farmer in the highlands told me about the challenges of road barriers and feeling cut off from support and the challenge he faced alongside neighbours dealing with hundreds of dead livestock. Our hearts go out to the family and friends of those who lost their life, including cattle farmer Max Hobson, who passed away near Seymour.

In the midst of the shock and the pain of the loss, the response and generosity of individuals, organisations and businesses have been amazing. At the Harcourt bushfire donation centre in Castlemaine I saw an empty shed filled with donations in a single day as people came from near and far bringing quality goods, gift cards and food supplies. I acknowledge members of the Harcourt Progress Association and volunteers like Tania, whose phone did not stop; Stacey, who coordinated the hay and feed deliveries of the Victorian Miniature Railway; Trevor and the team from Rotary, who kept the barbecues going to feed the local community; Lyn and Stan from BlazeAid, who set up camp along with a team of volunteers replacing fencing – the generosity of so many businesses, organisations and individuals who gave services, finances, food and supplies to support those in need. There are too many to mention, but one donation did stand out. Last week I dropped by the donation centre again and a lady turned up. It appeared at first glance that she certainly did not have much, but she handed over a box of pantry items packed full of pasta and wraps, and she kept apologising that she could not give more. But she gave all that she could. It is people like that lady with the big heart that reflect the best of Australia and its people.

Just yesterday I dropped by a farm that had lost over 150 acres just near Mount Alexander, who are starting the big task of cleaning up trees and replacing fencing. Brad and his wife Nat spoke about their connection with family, friends and neighbours, of sharing meals together and neighbours that dropped by. It reminded me of Remy, who owned the Coolstore cafe that was destroyed in Harcourt. I dropped by last year and was so impressed not just by the great venue, hospitality and quality food, but by his passion for the community of Harcourt. Like so many homes and businesses impacted by the fires right across northern Victoria, the Coolstore cafe was destroyed. Despite their own personal loss, people like Remy and so many others have continued to serve their local communities.

I am reminded of Proverbs 11:25:

A generous person will prosper;

whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

To all those who have given and continue to give whatever you have to support those in need – your time, supplies, finances, skills and services – thank you. Summer is not over and the work continues. For many, the toughest times come after the stories have disappeared from the news headlines. To all those impacted either directly or indirectly, support is available, so please do not do it alone. Please reach out.

 Jeff BOURMAN (Eastern Victoria) (15:29): I will make a short contribution to this motion. First of all, I want to give my condolences to the family, friends and community of Max Hobson, who was tragically killed during the recent bushfires. But I want to thank all those that helped out. Of course there was the CFA, FRV, Forest Fire Management Victoria, the police, the ambos and SES. There were also a whole lot of community volunteers. There are a lot of people that belong to nothing that were out there giving everyone a hand, and they are just as important as the organisations and the – I will not call them professional volunteers – ones that have an organisation above them. I also got some help from Accidental Health & Safety, who gave me a cracking deal on some stuff for Sikh Volunteers Australia.

Sikh Volunteers Australia have always been there when needed. Most of them do not speak very good English, as I found out, but apparently you do not need to know English to be good people – I do not know how to break that to some people in the community. They were so happy to be able to help, and they were so happy to have us as a state pitch in and help. They had so much stuff. But if there is an upside to these things, it is the fact that people put aside their politics and people put aside their differences and they pitch in. There is always plenty of time, with an election coming up at the end of this year, for us to do that, but in the meantime I think we should celebrate what we have in common.

 Tom McINTOSH (Eastern Victoria) (15:31): I rise to join everyone in the chamber in expressing our condolences and sympathy to all Victorians who have been affected by fire in this fire season, but especially those in the north and the west of the state. I want to follow on from Minister Tierney’s comments earlier, and expressed by many others, about the mental health impacts on Eastern Victoria, where fortunately most of the fires have been confined away from people’s property on public land and bush.

Visiting the incident control centre in Heyfield, hearing about the Dargo fire and visiting Orbost and the fires to the east out to Mallacoota, when you have a fire at Dargo moving something like 58 kilometres in 6 hours, it produces a lot of smoke. Of course in Mallacoota, even though the fire did not directly impact the town as it turned out, there was that smoke across the water that affected people. I have been chatting to Minister Shing over subsequent weeks about the previous trauma that was experienced in East Gippsland with 350 homes lost, so having this smoke in the vicinity was very triggering for people in East Gippsland. But of course all our thoughts are with those in the north and the west, who have experienced the brunt of the property losses, losing houses and farms, and as Mrs McArthur talked about, community groups and sports groups have lost facilities and assets that may have been the only assets they had in their town.

Obviously, as we have all said, everyone has worked together in the response and coordinated, whether that be paid staff or whether that be volunteers giving up their time to protect their communities across the CFA, Forest Fire Management Victoria and Victoria Police or the unknown volunteers who we are never going to put a name to who are driving hay or who are fixing fences. We have heard stories of people coming out with plates of sandwiches and just being supportive. Various levels of government have combined to enable volunteers to be present and to enable people to have places to stay. Local governments have been setting up relief centres. Obviously state and federal governments need to provide support to enable volunteers and support to occur. As a lot of members here have touched on, that support will need to occur for a long time.

Financial counsellors are going to need to provide support. Mr McCracken talked about insurance companies being on notice. There were a lot of heads nodding in agreement with that comment. All of us here, as we have expressed so far through our motion and contributions, and indeed all Victorians, know we are a geographically smaller state, we are connected and we will support each other, as I said before, whether that is by shipping feed from one side to the other for stock that do not have feed to eat, to keep people going and get them back on their feet. There have been, as we have heard, tens of thousands of stock losses. We have had farmers and vets out caring for and euthanising livestock and indeed wildlife through so much of our public land.

I think it is imperative for all of us to support the rebuild and, when it is safe to do so, as we have done in past fires, get out and spend money in these local economies. Go with an empty esky and support whether it is farmers or whether it is our regional tourism. It is so important for all of us as Victorians, for the agricultural product and for everything that comes out of these regions to support them in these really difficult times. I again give my condolences and sympathy. I will leave my contribution there.

 Wendy LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (15:35): I rise to join this condolence motion today. We knew that this year was going to be a summer of extreme fire risk, and it has indeed turned out to be a horrific fire season. However, I do not think that any of us could possibly have imagined just how bad it would be. As we speak, there are still fires that are burning in the upper Murray and the Otways, and we are nowhere near the end of this fire season.

Fires during the summer are not something I am unfamiliar with. During my 24 years in this place, fires have been a constant summer threat and a way-too-frequent occurrence. My career started with fires up around Mitta Mitta in the summer of 2002–03. We then had the great alpine fires in 2006. There were fires in the Macedon Ranges in October 2015 and January 2016 and fires in the Indigo shire in 2016. The Black Summer fires entered the north-east of Victoria on 30 December 2019 and burnt throughout January 2020. These are, of course, only the major fires, and there have been plenty of other incidents over the years. And now, in January 2026, my electorate has once again been ablaze with not one but four major fires: the Longwood, Walwa, Harcourt and Yarroweyah fires.

My heart goes out to all Victorians affected by the fires – those who have lost homes, properties, pets and livestock – and of course, most of all, to the family and friends of Max Hobson, who lost his life when fire engulfed his property at Terip Terip, which is part of the fireground more commonly known as the Longwood fire. In particular I extend my condolences to Max’s wife Julie Ann, his sons Miles and Campbell, their wives Catherine and Saskia, his five grandsons, his sister Jill and his brother Ian. No words can express the depth of my sorrow for what they are going through. I would also like to acknowledge that we had one other death during the fire that, although not directly fire related, was in the fire-ravaged community of Harcourt. I know that had a huge impact on the family and the entire community. I extend my deepest condolences to the deceased’s family, friends and the community.

I want to put on record my sincere thanks to the volunteers of the CFA, who once again risked their own lives and left their own properties to fight these fires. They did so without thought for themselves or their properties, and several volunteers actually lost their own homes and properties while they fought to protect someone else’s property. Our CFA volunteers are true heroes, and I cannot thank them enough. I also want to thank all other volunteers, including the SES, the search-and-rescue squads, the Red Cross, the Sikh community, Rotary, Lions, Kiwanis, BlazeAid, football and netball clubs and so many other organisations as well as individuals who gave their time to assist those in need. It is always dangerous to name one person or one organisation, as you cannot name everyone, but I want those who helped to know that their assistance is valued. I am grateful even if I have not named them.

The volunteer efforts in all shires have been outstanding, and we saw locals stand up to immediately feed, clothe and house people, to organise feed for livestock and also, unfortunately, to euthanise livestock. It is in times like these that we see communities at their best. I also want to acknowledge the efforts of our local governments: the mayors, councillors, CEOs and officers at the Shire of Strathbogie, Murrindindi shire, Mitchell shire, Mansfield shire, Towong shire, Mount Alexander shire and the administrators at the Moira shire. You have all been amazing with the leadership you have shown in your communities.

I want to read out some of the stats for the fires to give some context to the extent and the size of these fires and the extent of the devastation. These are just initial stats; I expect they will increase as we gain further information. The Longwood fire, which burnt across the Strathbogie, Murrindindi, Mansfield and Mitchell shires, claimed quite a lot of property. It was the fire that got the most publicity during the couple of weeks that we had the major fires. Strathbogie seemed to be the face of that – Longwood is obviously in Strathbogie and they were very, very severely impacted. But I think Murrindindi shire is equally impacted, and that has gone under the radar a little bit.

In Strathbogie we lost 110 houses, 272 structures have been destroyed and 144,000 hectares have been burnt. 36,000 is the statewide livestock losses that have been reported to date, but the majority of those are in Strathbogie. Eighteen culverts and 14 bridges have been damaged and more than 200 kilometres of road remain unsafe or closed. In Murrindindi 190 houses have been destroyed, 519 sheds, 5112 livestock have been lost, 389 beehives lost, 14,000 hectares of farmland burnt, 2000 kilometres of fencing damaged or destroyed, 6341 tonnes of hay or silage have been lost and 7399 hectares of grazing pasture lost. Murrindindi shire advises that their losses represent 45 per cent of the total number of structures destroyed across the state.

Mitchell shire lost three houses, four sheds, 4203 hectares of farmland was fire affected, 2000 hectares of hardwood plantation has been lost, 1647 hectares of grazing pasture has been lost, 100 kilometres of fencing damaged or destroyed and 4759 sheep were impacted. In Mansfield they lost five homes, seven sheds or outbuildings were lost, 1000 livestock have been lost, 52 tonnes of hay and silage, 100 hectares of crops lost, 2000 hectares of grazing pasture lost. A survey of over 100 businesses in mid-January also reported an average loss of 70 per cent in income for businesses. Something we have not seen any support for yet is business or tourism. These fires have had an enormous impact on businesses and tourism, as well as on those people who have directly lost homes and on our farming community.

In the Harcourt fires, which were in Mount Alexander shire, there were 54 houses lost, 10 sheds lost and at least 80 farms were impacted. 1200 hectares of grazing property was burnt; 12 hectares of apple orchards lost or impacted; 9 hectares of wine grapes lost, 300 livestock lost, mostly sheep and some poultry; and 158 kilometres of fencing has been lost. Mrs Broad talked about the loss of the coolstore in Harcourt. That has impacted around 100 businesses that shared that facility, and this is going to have an enormous impact on that community. I am pleased that the federal and state government have stepped up and provided funding for that facility to be rebuilt, but it will not replace the produce that has been lost in the fire and it will be some time before it is rebuilt. That fire even had an impact on me, because Blackjack winery store their wines in there and it just happens to be my favourite shiraz. I bought some directly from the winery and I have also been searching online for some of the older years to build up my wine reserves. I encourage all of you to also go out and spend some money in the fire areas and support those businesses that have been impacted.

In the Moira shire we had a fire at Yarroweyah. It was a rather small fire in the scheme of the fires that went on across the state; it only burnt for about 12 kilometres. It was a narrow fire along Benalla-Tocumwal Road, but it was a major fire. It impacted 50 properties, 13 homes were destroyed, 30 structures were destroyed, 950 hectares were burnt and 71 kilometres of fencing destroyed, fortunately no livestock were affected.

The Towong shire, where the Walwa fires are, have lost 16 homes. They think that only eight to 10 might be primary residences, but there are still 16 homes gone. There were up to 100 sheds; 30 other structures, including silos and water tanks; and over 120,000 hectares burnt. 17,000 hectares of that was rural land, 10,000 hectares was pine plantations and the rest was in state and national parks. Of course those fires are still burning. The livestock losses have not yet been counted, because they are still having difficulty accessing some of the properties. The major tourism attraction of the Towong shire is the rail trail, and that has been significantly impacted. They have lost nearly all of the trestle bridges on the rail trail, and these will need to be replaced. These are the things that we need to be looking at now. How can we support these communities going forward?

In addition to the direct losses, in all shires we witnessed the fragility of our power and telecommunication networks, the vulnerability of our road networks and the impact of the fires on business and the tourism industry, which is also widespread. The fires will be extensive, and it will be a long recovery. This motion pledges that the government will continue to work with communities to support and rebuild fire-affected communities. I hope this is a genuine pledge and that victims and communities receive adequate support to rebuild their lives and communities.

 Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (15:47): I too rise today to offer my heartfelt condolences to all of those who have been affected by the devastating 2026 bushfires. As we have heard tragically already, one person has died and more than 430,000 hectares have been lost, just 20,000 hectares short of the Black Saturday fires of 2009, which claimed 173 lives and killed an estimated 1 million animals. We must also remember the Black Summer of 2019 and 2020, where tens of millions of hectares were lost, billions of animals were killed and over 400 human lives were lost from smoke inhalation across the country. The trauma, the loss and the heartbreak of these events linger in our communities still to this day. We have known for a long time that bushfires are not one-off events. This is a reality that experts have been warning us of, yet we are here once again facing the unbearable toll of extreme weather on our community, on our wildlife and on our land.

Vast parts of my electorate of Northern Victoria have been affected by this disaster, and my office has been working around the clock to support the community despite the fact that my office manager was themself also affected by the fires. This includes individuals who run wildlife shelters, such as Red Box Wildlife Shelter and Animal Abbey in the Mount Alexander shire area, where I was more than happy to travel to in the days after the fires and drop off almost 100 kilos of fruit for the bats and other animals that have come into care since the events, and communities like Harcourt, where homes and businesses have also been decimated. My heart goes out to these people, whose lives have been changed forever and who are now facing the long, exhausting task of rebuilding after immense personal, financial and emotional loss.

We are grateful for organisations such as Vets for Compassion, Animals Australia and Humane World for Animals, which provided urgent disaster relief to affected animals and carers following the fires. We are also grateful to our local wildlife carers, who managed to safely rescue a family of four kangaroos that had bad burns on their feet and smoke inhalation complications. These kangaroos will only survive because of the people who put their lives on the line to help them, and their story is an outlier. It is in stark contrast to the countless euthanasia cases that wildlife rescuers continue to attend day after day in the aftermath – kangaroos with necrotic, rotten feet from hopping on fireground; possums that have inhaled smoke; and other animals that are dying from dehydration.

Further to the east of my electorate, I send my condolences to Dr Robin Coy of Tarcombe Wildlife Shelter, which was destroyed in the Longwood fires. Robin watched as flames surrounded her animals, and she was forced to leave with only her dog, six joeys and a doe. She took shelter in a dam while she watched her entire property burn with the remaining animals trapped inside.

This only scratches the surface of what our community has endured this bushfire season. With more extreme heat and high fire danger periods on the way through February and March, I want to acknowledge and thank the volunteer CFA crews who continue to put themselves in harm’s way to defend the communities that we all call home. Together we grieve for what has been lost. We stand with those in mourning, and we know we must act urgently to prevent these events from continuing in the future.

 Sheena WATT (Northern Metropolitan) (15:51): I rise today to express my heartfelt condolences to every Victorian impacted by the recent and ongoing bushfires this summer. These bushfires have brought tremendous devastation to the communities that have been affected by them. I would like to extend my deepest condolences to the family, friends and community of Max Hobson, who died in the Longwood fire. Furthermore, the loss of townships, of livelihoods and of family homes is deeply tragic, and we mark that today. But within these tragic stories we truly do see the best of Victorians on display – displays of courage, of generosity and of resilience.

I have had the unique privilege of travelling across our state to listen to the stories of those affected by the bushfires, as have many other members here in this chamber, and it is truly heartening to see how these communities have rallied together to support each other. I would like to acknowledge our emergency services, who I know have been tirelessly working over the last little while. There are those that stepped up to protect the communities they know and love and then there are those that flew in to help pay their respects, and to those I say thank you. To the teams made up of department staff and agencies, those at the relief centres and the incident control centres – wherever you were – and the small not-for-profits that popped up to support communities, can I just thank you very, very much for all that you have done.

There are those that are just really struggling with the enormity of this, and I have had conversations with so many of those community members. Can I also acknowledge the Red Cross, which have been running the relief centres, providing displaced Victorians with a hot meal and a place to sleep and, importantly, assisting them through their relationships with other organisations at these centres in those important first steps of rebuilding their lives. It is those volunteers representing those organisations that matter so very much: St John Ambulance, the Salvation Army, Lifeline, Foodshare, the pastoral care and the faith-based leaders. The list of organisations that have stepped up and the people that make them real is just so incredible that I cannot find the proper words to thank them.

What I want to do is highlight two organisations that have particularly struck me this season. One is called Gnarly Neighbours, up in Seymour. You might not have ever heard of them. They are a youth group that provides skateboarding lessons for young people. They decided that they should take a break and focus their efforts on organising to support their community. They have been critical in organising and distributing countless donations that they have received to those that need them most. The operation up there in Seymour is truly a sight to behold., To Gnarly Neighbours and all those folks up in Seymour that have made that happen, my thanks to you. One that was mentioned by Mr Bourman but I think we could do with mentioning again is Sikh Volunteers Australia, who have a dedicated team and a couple of vans. They have distributed thousands of free hot meals at relief centres right across the state. As Mr Bourman said, they are good people.

I would like to also take some time to acknowledge and extend a special thankyou to the elected councillors, council employees and mayors right across the state who have taken the time to meet with me and share their concerns, big and small. To Strathbogie Shire Council, Murrindindi Shire Council and Mitchell Shire Council, thanks for sharing your stories from your local communities – the stories of farmers struggling to euthanise their dying livestock, stories of lost treasured homes and properties and livelihoods and the big questions that remain over the future of their communities, the urgent needs both in the short term and the long term. But most profoundly you spoke about the people and the urgent need for on-the-ground mental health support. It just so happened that later on that afternoon Minister Stitt was popping up to talk about our very generous package to support mental health in the community. So I was very happy to report the upcoming visit of Minister Stitt to talk about the vital work of mental health professionals in these communities, ones that we learned so many lessons from after Black Saturday, and I know they are very vital and central to our efforts in recovery. I want to say to every bushfire-affected community across the state that we certainly do hear you and we understand it is not just about the loss of buildings, it is not just about the loss of land; it is also about the loss of family memories, livestock, pets, native animals and community, and sometimes it is about the loss of life. I reaffirm that members of this place will stand with you every step of the way in the recovery in the weeks, months and years ahead. I commend this motion to the chamber.

 Moira DEEMING (Western Metropolitan) (15:56): I also rise to extend my condolences and deepest sympathies to the Victorian communities affected by the recent and ongoing bushfires, especially Max Hobson and his family. I was reflecting back on the experience that I had in a fire. My family were stuck in Marysville in the Black Saturday fires. I had a one-year-old baby. We were at a camp with some university friends, and we started hearing the explosion of gas bottles and seeing the smoke in the distance. We were all told to help pack everybody up and leave, but on our way to the rendezvous point the smoke was so black and so thick that we took a wrong turn somewhere and accidentally went deeper into the fires. I have not thought back to that memory for so long, until today, and even now it is filling me with adrenaline because it was so, so terrifying being there with my baby in the black smoke.

I also really want to praise our emergency services personnel for their courage and sacrifice in fighting fires and protecting our communities. These are the people that run towards danger, and not just danger but some of the most nightmarish danger that we face in this state. For me personally, I think dying by fire is one of the scariest things that could happen to a person. Recently I was at my local fire station, which is a combined one with the CFA and the FRV. They get along very well there. Hats off to the captain there, Joe. They let me put on the uniform and the equipment. I could barely stand; I could barely breathe. They put me in a dark room. It was very hard not to be panicky. It is just phenomenal, the job that they do. I was also privileged to see them work on a road spill clean-up, and they really did operate like an elite military unit. These people are just so, so professional and so highly skilled. We are really privileged to have such amazing people on call for us when we are in danger.

I would also like to express my deep gratitude to the many volunteers and community members who have supported friends, neighbours and everyone else in need. When we did make it to our rendezvous point in the Black Saturday fires, I still remember how the community and the volunteers turned up with sandwiches. They turned up with a portacot for my baby. The schoolteachers and everyone there, who were probably losing their property, turned up to help us, a bunch of strangers from the city who had just turned up on the worst day of their lives. So thank you to the CFA and all the other volunteers. I have been really encouraged to see yet again how everyone has come together and brought food and supplies for each other. It is really encouraging to see that side of our community, especially as the previous condolence motion was about something so sad. Obviously all of us here today pledge to continue to work with all of those communities across all levels of government to support and rebuild our fire-affected communities. It cannot go unsaid that you are doing these good deeds under the most difficult of circumstances, and I cannot wait to help fix that for you.

 Rikkie-Lee TYRRELL (Northern Victoria) (16:00): I rise today to speak on the bushfire condolence motion. On behalf of One Nation Victoria I wish to extend our sincerest condolences to those affected by the January 2026 bushfires. Over the past few weeks there has been so much tragedy and heartbreak in Victoria. With over 400,000 hectares of land currently burnt, thousands of livestock and wildlife lost, around 340 homes destroyed and, sadly, one life lost, parts of the state look like a war zone. I wish to acknowledge and extend my deepest appreciation to the CFA and SES volunteers, Fire Rescue Victoria and Forest Fire Management Victoria, who ran towards the infernos without hesitation. In this disaster I have found so many shining lights: the communities that have rallied together to support and help each other have shown the very best in Australian values; people who themselves have lost everything running around to organise food and supplies for others who have also lost everything, supporting each other with dinners, clothes, fodder for their animals and even just a shoulder to lean on. These bushfires have shown the very best of our communities: the charities too numerous to name individually who sprang into action as soon as the first siren sounded; the ones who delivered food, water, hay and countless other supplies needed to sustain these fire-affected communities; the people who donated goods and funds to those affected by fires; and those who were simply there to help. The Australian spirit has been there and is still there on display for all to see. So many times I heard the words ‘There is someone who’s worse off than me. I don’t need help,’ when in reality they needed as much help and support as their neighbours – proud Australian farmers. Behind the rough and tough exterior you could see the heartbreak and devastation. I am so proud of everyone involved during these devastating bushfires. I stand with all those trying to rebuild their lives, homes and livelihoods.

 John BERGER (Southern Metropolitan) (16:02): I rise to speak to this motion on the ongoing bushfires burning across the state. I would like to first offer my deepest condolences to the victims of this terrible ongoing disaster. As of today, my understanding is that over 1300 standing structures have been destroyed by fires and over 4000 hectares have been burnt. This includes approximately 400 homes which have been destroyed by fires, impacting hundreds of families across the state. That is before we look at how many homes and communities are still on the front lines of these bushfires, where those who have evacuated are still unable to return. The state of disaster is still in effect, as our brave CFA firefighters and other community volunteers work around the clock to keep these fires under control. Thousands of Victorians have seen their communities on the front line of these bushfires, and so many, unfortunately, have returned to their homes to find them destroyed by these fires. For these families everything they have built up over their lives has been devastated by these bushfires in one of the hottest summers on record. In the past few weeks, even though temperatures have now cooled down, regional Victoria saw temperatures pushing close to 50 degrees in parts of the state. Over these weeks hundreds of families have had to evacuate as the front lines have reached their towns and homes. Many of them have still not been able to return. Tragically, we have seen a lost life in these bushfires, and my deepest condolences go to the family of that loved one.

The brave volunteers in the CFA and the various other emergency relief and support organisations such as the SES have put themselves on the front line to protect Victorians in this difficult time. I want to take this opportunity to thank them for their bravery and their ongoing efforts. None of this would have been possible without these brave, devoted and hardworking volunteers. While temperatures may now be cooling, the fires are still raging in parts of Victoria. More families will, in the coming days and weeks, be returning to their towns to either find how close a call it was or find their homes destroyed. While disaster relief support is available from the state government, for many the devastation is simply too great.

I want to give a shout-out to the Colac relief centre at the showgrounds there. My father-in-law and mother-in-law spent four nights there, given that they evacuated because of the bushfires in the Colac region. They were undoubtedly very grateful for the amount of support that they were given. I could not speak highly enough of the people down there making sure that they were looked after, given they are in their early 80s, and it is not easy for people at that age to find themselves without a roof over their head. No doubt there is still an impact of these fires that will stay with these communities for the rest of their lives, and it will permanently have changed the faces of these communities with the traumatic impact, the physical damage and the repair and the clean-up underway.

I would also like to take a moment to let people know about the ongoing recovery efforts, as clean-up supports for people who are uninsured or under-insured are free of charge. Farmers and other primary producers are eligible for support, with grants available to aid them with their clean-up and removal of debris, damaged goods and other fencing materials. Over 15,000 livestock are estimated to have died with these bushfires, which is devastating for our farmers and other regional communities. Landholders concerned about their livestock welfare can contact Agriculture Victoria with any concerns as part of their recovery.

There is no question that the damage done to our farming community will take a long time to recover from, especially in primary farming communities in rural Victoria. While support payments for farmers, small businesses and underinsured Victorians and their homes may be available, little can comfort these families in times like this. I join everybody in this chamber in sending our sincere condolences to families whose livelihoods have been devastated, to their communities and to their loved ones, who now more than ever need help from their fellow Victorians. With that, I conclude my remarks.

 Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (16:06): I rise to add my voice and condolences in relation to the 2026 bushfires and also place on record my heartfelt sorrow for the family of Mr Maxwell Hobson. What a stoic person he must have been, trying to defend his farm and family home. Our thoughts continue to be with all loved ones who have lost family members and community members in the fires.

Our state is one of the most fire-prone states in the nation. Our country has evolved with fire in the landscape. Our eucalypt species are there because of this fire moving through the landscape over thousands of years. It has been managed in the past with traditional owners, but it also is a tinderbox when the right conditions are there, and indeed the conditions are there when lightning strikes. Speaking to the incident controller – the regional controller that sits above me – before Christmas, one of the things that is their enemy, of course, is lightning. Of course the other one is human error – human intervention. Some fires are caused by ignorance, by having a fire lit and not put out as a camper, but other things can occur such as vehicles travelling along a road that has high grass and dry grass on the side and all the way in between.

Indeed our state has had many fires. I was speaking with many of the old-timers about the 1939 fires. I was around for the Ash Wednesday fires, when 75 people lost their lives. That date is still coming in our calendar – 16 February is the anniversary of that in 1983, and indeed not many decades pass without a major fire incident in one location or another. Only over the weekend we will mark the anniversary of the Black Saturday fires, and indeed travelling through my electorate over the summer months, the memory of the Black Summer fires of 2019–20 sends a shiver and an adrenaline rush into the hearts and souls of people in East Gippsland. I also concur with the good people of Mallacoota who witnessed the fire over the water, and that must have scared the living daylights out of them. Thankfully that fire has remained relatively benign in Forrest.

If I can speak, as well as the various very interesting and poignant contributions by members in the house, to how we are indebted to our volunteers, indebted to our CFA and indebted to those who, when the pager goes, put on their boots, put on their heavy uniforms and out they go. They practise, they study, they train every week. They can come from any walk of life – the plumber, the builder, the accountant, the teacher, the hairdresser, the local government employee. Again, they work as a team, and right across 1200 stations our CFA brigades are dedicated to service. We in this place, in government, on all levels, owe them a debt that really cannot be paid, because to be paid would bankrupt our state if there was monetary funding of that. They volunteer because they care, because they are compassionate and because they are skilled. I extend my thanks and gratitude to SES volunteers and to the range of volunteers that we see. They are ably supported by the agencies, by Forest Fire Management Victoria crews, by Fire Rescue Victoria and by Parks Victoria teams. I know they live in their communities. The ones that still do live in their communities, that are still employed in our regions, care very deeply and work with community – the paramedics, police officers, local shires.

I would like to also mention some of the unsung heroes: those people that come out with heavy machinery – those feller bunches, those chainsaws, the excavators – that are highly skilled in our country regions, whether they be civil or ex-VicForests workers. They have the knowledge and they have the capacity, and they also should be applauded because they put themselves in very dangerous situations and at times, I think, do not receive the level and degree of gratitude that their skill and their commitment deserve. We pay it today, and so we certainly honour them. When you see those visuals of the flame height crowning 60 metres above the ground and fire in the crowns of our trees, and then you see these, by comparison, very small fire trucks heading to that fire danger, your heart is in your mouth. As I said, our gratitude is one that is really unable to be paid to these good people.

We also speak of the incident control centres, and it really is an army of people. Speaking to one that sits above me this last week, they said that they can mobilise a whole army of everybody working into fires, and I pay my thanks to them. One of the incredible sadnesses, of course, is the loss of homes that we have seen across our fair state, and I concur with members who have acknowledged various MPs. Everyone does their bit as they can and as they will. Some of them I know – Annabelle and Kim and Gaelle and Tim and Danny O’Brien and Emma Kealy and Cindy McLeish – have certainly been on the fireground, as have my good colleagues in the west as well, and Labor MPs. I want to put on record my congratulations to people stepping up in times of need.

When we think about the devastation, when we think about those farmers – coming off a farm I know how passionate my father was about animal husbandry, the care and nurturing of those animals – I think it is completely heartbreaking. I think farmers can cope with the loss of machinery, even the loss of their homes, but the loss of stock is just absolutely devastating, because it is an investment. It is not only a financial investment but it is an investment of time, of genetics, of care, and no-one likes to see animals in pain. I also want to pay gratitude and thanks to the RSPCA, our local vets and our wildlife officers, who have to go and euthanise wildlife that have been compromised in these bushfires.

We look at the resurgence in times of need of people who come to the aid of BlazeAid, of the farmers, and we heard people donating fodder, a very important factor in all of this, the trucks that we saw moving through, people from right across our state devoting time and being generous and donating all that is needed there for the interim. And we have heard also from my colleagues about donations of fodder, of food, of clothes and of finances. Victorians are overwhelmingly not only stoic in the face of adversity but generous in the face of crisis, and we thank them for that. I could go through a list, but others have listed many of the towns and I put on record my thanks.

Speaking with the incident controller that sits above me in Traralgon, he said that the Wonnangatta–‍Dargo complex travelled from the north-west to the south-east – the length of it, some 50,000 hectares all over, but it spotted kilometres and kilometres – in 6 hours. Now, that could take six weeks, but it ran in 6 hours. So I put on record – today is not the day, and I concur with other members – that part of this rebuilding of fire-affected communities must be about rebuilding confidence. Greater depth of preparation, of prevention, of pre-planning and of mitigation of bushfires before they take hold and take off – that needs to be a focus as much as, and included in, the rebuilding of our communities’ mental health, physical structures, infrastructure, homes and capability. In doing that, I also want to make the comment around respect, resourcing and fuel loads, and there will be more discussed there later.

Finally, if I can respond and say that we are at our best when we are in a crisis. But let us not have to test our resolve and the wonderful spirit of Victorians all the time. Let us work out ways to mitigate bushfires before they take hold. I deeply thank all those who have worked in fire-affected areas, and I deeply pay my condolences to those who have lost homes and lost so much.

 Michael GALEA (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (16:17): I join colleagues across the chamber in acknowledging all of the Victorians who are affected by the fires which took hold in our state on 7 January this year. Once again, Victorians have faced the devastating threat that fire poses to our state. We have seen incredible dedication and bravery once again from our volunteer firefighters. Those of us on the fringes of Melbourne have so far been spared from the major fire events this year, and we are grateful for it. But I know that my community and all Victorians are standing with those affected by these fires, including in particular the Longwood and Walwa blazes.

On and since 7 January this year I have not been able to help but to compare that day and the wicked menace it posed to another tragic fire event in our state’s history: Black Saturday. Days like that have the potential to humble you like nothing else. The extreme heat and ferocious winds evoked an anxiety in me, and I am sure many others, that I had not personally felt for 17 years. It was perhaps best described by Minister Tierney, but it is the anxiety of the unknown – not knowing what would happen if, despite your best preparations, you were faced with the worst. Thousands of Victorians did face exactly that just a few weeks ago. Many lost properties and animals, and one very sadly lost their life.

Despite the shockingly vast areas of land burnt and the blistering speed at which the fire front moved, the fact that we did not experience a death toll this year anywhere close to the magnitude of that awful day in February 2009 is a remarkable thing to note. We have undoubtedly learned a lot since then in how we prepare for fire and in how we respond to it. For many, if not most, Victorians in fire-prone areas, the mantra of ‘stay and defend’ has been replaced with ‘leave, and leave early’. What we have learned has evidently served us well, but it is of small comfort to the loved ones of Max Hobson, to the survivors who had a close call and to those who lost all their earthly belongings, their homes, their businesses and their animals.

I want to join with all colleagues in acknowledging the incredible efforts of our state’s firefighters, who have once again shown the most remarkable bravery and dedication, putting themselves forward into danger. They have no doubt saved countless lives, saved property and saved so many more Victorians from the heartbreak that bushfires bring. To our CFA volunteers in particular, to Forest Fire Management Victoria and FRV firies, to the SES and all other agencies: we thank you and we thank your families as well. We are also greatly indebted to all those firefighters from afar who volunteered their time and came to help us in our time of need, coming from interstate and as far away as Alberta – it is an act of mateship that we will not forget – and the community heroes, the everyday people who leaned in, those who sheltered neighbours, worked in fire refuges and got support to where it was needed. I am also proud of the very many people in my electorate who lent a hand, including Sikh Volunteers Australia, who once again provided much-needed cooked meals to fire-affected communities.

As we mark this tragedy today, we must remember that this year’s fire season is not over. As Victorians, we must continue to do everything that we can to be prepared and keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.

 Ann-Marie HERMANS (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (16:20): I also rise on this condolence motion to extend my deepest condolences to the Victorian communities affected by the January 2026 bushfires. The scale and the severity of the fires have caused immense loss, disrupted lives and left many communities facing a long and very difficult recovery. I also, as many of my colleagues and people across the chamber have done, want to extend my sincere thanks to the volunteers and the emergency services personnel who have been on the ground making a difference, working extraordinarily long hours with courage and dedication and a commitment to community. This tireless effort is often made in very extreme and dangerous circumstances, and they have done it selflessly to protect lives, to protect property, to protect livelihood and to protect communities.

In 2023, when I had the portfolio of emergency services, I spent time driving around Victoria. At that time people were devastated by floods and were homeless. But later – and in times before as well – we saw the impact of bushfires. My daughter was trapped in a bushfire many years ago in Mallacoota, and I know the devastation that people feel and the trauma that they go through because I had the great privilege of being one of the counsellors during the Churchill fires. The one thing that sticks in my memory, as I was attached to a school, was how when the wind blew the children suffered trauma. It was not necessarily when it was a hot day, but when it was a warm day and the wind was howling. I thought when it was warm that they would all start running in to come and talk, but it was that howling wind that brought back the traumatic memories of the impact of bushfires.

We have seen so many lives taken over the years through bushfires. This fire took Max Hobson. I extend my sincere condolences and deepest sympathy to the family as they work to rebuild their lives from their great loss. It is so tragic when people are out giving their time and their effort as volunteers and they lose their homes or their lives while trying to protect others. I have heard so many tragic stories over the years, including where people sent their teenage son to help neighbours while they were defending their home, only to have their son taken while he was helping the neighbours. These events were in other fires in previous times, but I think the lesson to be learned here is that fire kills and we have to do more to protect our families, our communities and our volunteers.

I thank the CFA, the SES and the many local groups that step up at times like this and the individuals who give more and more and more. They continually serve, and I think it shows the resilience of the Australian spirit, that sense of mateship that has not disappeared and that sense of love for community, for our homes and for each other. I want to thank you and again extend my deepest sympathy to all those who have lost homes, who have lost businesses, who are still out there dealing with fires and the aftermath. The clean-up is going to take a long time, and I simply ask that in the future the government really considers what it can do to prevent these grand-scale fires that take out so many people’s lives and devastate them.

Before I finish I want to end with this: many years ago, when I was young, my father was in the forests commission. I remember him going out and being in those towers and watching the fires and the stories he would come back with. I think we need to look at how we deal with the burn-off. We need to look at what is responsible, and we need to be fair to these communities and to these volunteers and help them out so that they can get back to their lives.

 Renee HEATH (Eastern Victoria) (16:26): I would like to thank Minister Symes for bringing this motion to the house, and it is one that I am proud to support. Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the life of Maxwell Hobson, who tragically died in these fires. I honestly just want to send my love to his family and his friends. My thoughts are with them as they grieve during this time but also deal with the fallout and the clean-up and recovery from the recent fires. I also want to acknowledge those who were initially reported missing but were found safe. I want to say that there was a collective sigh of relief from people all over the nation who were praying and who were believing that those people would come back safely and be found safely. That was really an incredible moment when people that were missing were found. We are very thankful for that.

I want to acknowledge that the fires have burnt over 400,000 hectares of our land and that over 500 structures, including 179 homes, have been burnt. I want to send my love to families like that of Tenille and David, who are facing the incredible journey of rebuilding their homes. I know they are very thankful that they got out safe, but I cannot imagine what it would be like to lose all your earthly possessions and start from scratch. The journey ahead is going to be tough for thousands of people around our state, but I know that together we will get there.

Our hearts are with the families and farmers and communities that are dealing with significant stock loss, and I know a lot of people have spoken about that today. My colleague Melina Bath spoke about how losing homes and property is one thing, but the tragedy that is attached to losing livestock is another. Roughly 20,000 head of livestock have been lost, and our hearts go out to all of those people affected by the life, the animals, the land and all that has been lost.

I want to honour the extraordinary work of our volunteers – the courage and the selflessness of the volunteers of the emergency services. I honestly think that you are the best of us in Australia. I think of each of those people, and it is always a risk when you mention a few, but I think of Jungala, who I bumped into the other day, who looked absolutely exhausted. When I saw him he said he had been fighting the fires in Dargo for days out of a truck with no air conditioning in it, but he was driven by love for his community to continue to put his life in danger and to continue to fight. There are others, like Nathan, who for days split his time between caring for his elderly parents and their home, which was at risk, and fighting to protect the community. There are so many volunteers like this who continue to show incredible generosity, bravery, selflessness, courage and love for the community. I honestly think that you show the best of the Australian spirit, and I just want to say from the bottom of my heart, thank you for all that you do for us and for our community.

 Nick McGOWAN (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (16:29): On behalf of my communities I too would like to give condolence to the family of Max Hobson – his wife Julie Ann, their children and grandchildren. In my capacity as Shadow Minister for Fire Rescue Victoria I also want to point out – and some of those in this chamber today have done this, and I thank them for that – that while we all support and thank our CFA volunteers, and they do an amazing job, they are also supported on occasion by our career firefighters in Fire Rescue Victoria, in addition to the fact that we have some 38 Greater Melbourne and regional FRV stations, including in locations like Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Warrnambool, Mildura, Traralgon, Portland, Ocean Grove, Morwell, Latrobe West, Wodonga, Wangaratta and Shepparton. They play an instrumental role and in fact did in these latest bushfires, which impacted in Colac, Gellibrand, the Otways and Longwood. They sent a number of teams on a number of occasions – on one occasion a strike team of five pumper tankers, albeit one of them never quite got there, because it broke down on the way. That is a story for another time and another day. Nonetheless they have my thanks and appreciation for the work they do in supporting our CFA volunteers and working side by side not only with the CFA volunteers but, as we know and as has been mentioned, also with our SES volunteers, the Lions clubs, the Rotary clubs, the football clubs, the netball clubs – all of the clubs and community effort, including the Red Cross and of course Forest Fire Management Victoria.

The PRESIDENT: I ask members to signify their assent by rising in their places for 1 minute’s silence.

Motion agreed to in silence, members showing unanimous agreement by standing in their places.

The PRESIDENT: Proceedings will now be suspended for 1 hour as a further mark of respect.

Sitting suspended 4:32 pm until 5:34 pm.