Thursday, 2 April 2026

 Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (19:27): (2489) My adjournment is for the Treasurer, and the action I seek is that the Treasurer ensure appropriate and ongoing financial support for Strathbogie Shire Council. This week representatives from Strathbogie made the long journey to Spring Street to advocate for their community of nearly 12,000 people. Strathbogie and Murrindindi were the two shires most impacted by January’s Longwood Berrys Lane bushfire, along with Mitchell and Mansfield. Of the 320 homes destroyed in the fire, 110 were lost in Strathbogie alone. Hundreds of kilometres of roads were damaged and the economic consequences are still being felt today. This comes on top of drought and flooding events that have battered the region in recent years. Unlike many disasters elsewhere in the state, these fires tore primarily through private agricultural land rather than state forests. That means the financial burden has fallen squarely on council and their ratepayers.

Like too many rural councils, Strathbogie is facing financial unsustainability. The 2022 floods left the council with a $4 million gap in funding from what it expected to receive, a shortfall that had to be absorbed into the council’s already lean budget. The reality remains: structural funding problems cannot be resolved through belt-tightening alone. They need proper support from the state government. Strathbogie faces enormous infrastructure demands but has limited revenue streams. But to access support and remain compliant, they are forced to navigate complex grant processes and a 377 page Local Government Act 2020. All this costs time and money. It is simply not good enough. While I acknowledge the Treasurer and Minister for Local Government have engaged with Strathbogie, more must be done. As a starting point, sufficient ongoing funding for recovery services over the next three years must be available so Strathbogie can continue operating its recovery hub for residents. The government should also provide rate relief for those who have lost their primary residence or income and waive the Emergency Services and Volunteer Fund tax for impacted properties. They deserve practical support, not bureaucratic hurdles. Treasurer, these communities have been through enough. They are hurting, they need support and they need it now.