The Nationals’ Member for Mildura, Jade Benham, has questioned the Premier in Parliament on why bushfire victims in some municipalities are falling through the cracks.
Communities across the south of the Mildura electorate have endured multiple fires since December, with more than 2,800 hectares burned, including the Jeffcott fire on 18 December, which destroyed a family home, numerous outbuildings, and impacted at least 15 farms.
“Yes, the damage is much smaller than it was in the catastrophic fires in January, but the impact felt by those property owners is no less,” Ms Benham said. “These families remain unable to obtain assistance simply because their fire occurred before the January disaster declaration.
“Limiting bushfire disaster declarations to certain dates and events leaves local councils and landowners to shoulder the impact themselves,” Ms Benham said.
“For a small council like Buloke Shire, managing recovery is both costly and resource-intensive. They are still waiting on flood recovery support from the state government to fix public roads and infrastructure also.
“Their rate base is small, resources are limited, and delays in state support only increase the burden on council and residents.”
Ms Benham said the current approach meant many families and farmers who suffer losses outside declared disaster dates miss out on essential support.
“Bushfires can happen at any time, and those impacted should be able to access assistance no matter when a fire occurs. The system should reflect the reality of the fire season and provide help to all affected communities from the beginning of the season until the end, once a disaster has been declared. Otherwise, there’s simply no equity for those who have had enormous losses.”
