Thursday, 5 February 2026

 Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (12:50): My question is for the Minister for Environment. The Wildlife Emergency Support Network, or WESN, is a state government coordinated network of trained and accredited vets, wildlife carers and rescuers designed to be deployed during bushfires and extreme heat emergencies to assess, treat and support injured wildlife. The fires that recently tore through Northern Victoria included a 44-kilometre front that devastated Harcourt. It destroyed more than 40 homes and saw wildlife left disorientated, smoke-affected and dehydrated and with severe burns, suffering around burnt-out properties. Despite two trained WESN members living in the Mount Alexander shire area being available to assist, they were neither called nor deployed. Given the scale of environmental destruction and animal suffering in my electorate, what justification can the minister provide for WESN not being adequately activated during this disaster?