The Nationals Member for Euroa, Annabelle Cleeland, has invited Victoria’s new Emergency Services Minister to visit the electorate and meet communities still living with the impacts of recent disasters.
Ms Cleeland extended the invitation during an adjournment debate in Parliament this week, urging the new Minister to listen directly to residents affected by 2026 bushfires and 2022 floods, where government recovery efforts had fallen short.
“In nearly four years since I was elected to this role, our region has endured floods, drought and bushfires, with the Labor Government failing to respond to calls for help since 2022,” Ms Cleeland said.
“The primary role of a government is to help Victorians in need. Rather than talking about disaster recovery from Melbourne, come to regional Victoria and see the reality of recovery on the ground.”
Given the new Minister’s background in emergency services, Ms Cleeland said she was hopeful for more capable leadership, “although he must see on the ground the consequences of seven months of policy failure”.
“The response to the January bushfires has been slow, fractured and dysfunctional, and the Minister has a responsibility to see for himself what bad policy looks like on the ground,” she said.
“The clean-up program has been dysfunctional, causing the slowest recovery from a disaster in recent years. Many people are still in insecure housing, and many have received rates notices for properties that have been significantly devalued or lost entirely.”
She said the need for rate relief and fast-tracked permit approvals had also been escalated to new Treasurer, after his predecessor failed to respond to calls for help from the region.
“Disasters should never be politicised. I’m appealing to the hearts of the new Minister and Treasurer to support our community to rebuild,” Ms Cleeland said.
“Rate relief has been the precedent set by previous disasters. Without it, and without fast-tracked permits, some localities will be unable to rebuild at all.
“For many in my electorate, this is not their first disaster – some have been through floods and fires within a few years, and they shouldn’t have to keep fighting government systems while rebuilding their lives.
“I’ve invited the Minister to sit down with these communities, see the recovery work still unfinished, and understand that regional Victoria is asking for action, not promises. I sincerely hope he accepts.”
