Thursday, 18 June 2026

 Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (12:26): (1369) My question is to the Minister for Environment. A June 2026 Auditor-General’s report found that your department has failed to demonstrate that bushfire fuel management is working, that key data is unreliable and that longstanding recommendations remain unimplemented. Given these findings, after six years of warnings will you now admit the government’s fuel management program is failing to reduce bushfire risk for Victorians?

 Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Environment, Minister for Outdoor Recreation) (12:27): I thank Ms Bath for her question and her interest in the Auditor-General’s report. I want to take this opportunity to thank the Auditor-General for their work and for a report that acknowledges the strong work our state and our government have made in risk modelling, data capability, statewide planning and collaboration with traditional owners. Ms Bath, I do question whether we have read the same report. I think the report shows a government that is doing what is needed and a government that is strengthening bushfire risk management and ensuring Victoria is as prepared as possible. That is my reading of the report, and it tells us what we already know: for bushfire preparedness, we need to make sure that we are continually making improvements and that we are continually making investments. This year’s budget shows that is exactly what we are doing.

Members interjecting.

Enver ERDOGAN: That is right, Mr McIntosh. I might take up the interjection there. That is exactly what we are doing. In this year’s budget alone we are building on previous investments with $146 million for aviation firefighting resources, $44 million to maintain essential management assets and frontline fire vehicles and –

Melina Bath: On a point of order, President, I ask you to draw the minister back to the Victorian Auditor-General’s report. It clearly states in the first couple of pages that your data is not working, that it is unreliable and that you are making Victoria less safe. Could the minister please come back to the Victorian Auditor-General’s report?

The PRESIDENT: The minister was being relevant to the report, and I think he was rejecting the premise of the question.

Enver ERDOGAN: I was just warming up. We have still got 2 minutes more, Ms Bath. We have already invested over half a billion dollars into bushfire risk management, into fighting the bushfires and into recovery since the 2019–20 bushfire season. That means significant investments in technology upgrades. Since that time, we know there have been changes in the way we fight fires, but we also know there is a changing environment and climate, which means the seasons are getting tougher, with higher levels of risk. You seemed to quote the report, but I can see the report says it recognises substantial progress has been made. That is from the report. If you want to talk about the report, it also talks about how we have achieved statewide residual risk reduction since that time.

I think there is always more work to do. You talked about data, and to answer some of the specifics, the government uses a range of tools to assess bushfire risk and the effectiveness of fuel management, including the RapidFire simulations, post-fire reconstructions, case studies and modelling that informs decision-making. But at the core, it is not just based on modelling. We rely on the people. Nothing can replace the local knowledge, the signs, operational judgement and on-the-ground expertise. We have a layered approach. We do not just rely on one set of data, we rely on the experts in the field and our frontline workers. I want to take the opportunity to recognise all the people of all uniforms on the frontline fighting the bushfires and thank them for their work, and I look forward to them continuing the fantastic work they do for our state.

 Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (12:30): I am not sure that the minister actually read the Auditor-General’s report, because he might have been reading his own fantasy. The Auditor-General also found that your department overstated progress and failed to complete critical recommendations. So I ask: Minister, will you commit to publishing independently verified bushfire risk and fuel management data before the next fire season?

 Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Environment, Minister for Outdoor Recreation) (12:30): I thank Ms Bath for her supplementary question. I think the report says we need to have a focus on continual improvement and investment, and that is exactly what we have done. In relation to the recommendations, it acknowledges that we have made substantial progress. In relation to its recommendations to the department – not to the government, but to the department – the department has made significant advancements in bushfire risk modelling, planning and management in recent years, and the department itself has welcomed the Auditor-General’s report because it always looks for ways to strengthen its modelling systems and its approach to bushfire risk management. That is reflected in the substantial work that it has undertaken since the Auditor-General’s 2020 Reducing Bushfire Risks report. As a government we will always support communities. We will not be politicising to score political points. Our focus remains on protecting communities, supporting volunteers and firefighters, and reducing bushfire risk across our state, no matter where you live.