January 2026 Bushfire Advocacy Priorities

Of all councils and municipalities affected by the January 2026 bushfires, Murrindindi experienced the greatest impact, accounting for approximately 48 per cent of the state’s structural losses.

More than 144,000 hectares burned across the Longwood fire and more than 215 homes were destroyed within Murrindindi Shire alone in 2026 - on top of past disasters (2009 fires, 2022 floods).

Consequences span people, economy and infrastructure: 450 km of roads and dozens of bridges/culverts impacted, major tourism assets lost, and significant agricultural and wildlife harm.

While Council is working closely with communities and partner agencies to support recovery and strengthen long-term resilience, the scale, complexity and cumulative nature of these impacts exceed local capacity.

While all impacted councils and municipalities have received recovery funding, Murrindindi has received only around 8 per cent of the total funding provided. Council continues to advocate for recovery support that is equitable and proportionate to need, as this level of funding is clearly not aligned with the 48 per cent of impact experienced by Murrindindi.

Strong, coordinated and sustained partnerships with State and Federal Governments are essential to meet immediate recovery needs and to build long-term protection against increasing climate-driven risks. 

Council's Advocacy Asks

Item	Council-led Priorities	Estimated Cost
1	Alexandra Relief & Community Centre- establishment of a fit‑for‑purpose facility to support ongoing relief, recovery coordination, and community connection	$22 million
2	Community Recovery Hubs – including mobile and outreach services to smaller and more dispersed communities over a 2–3 year recovery period	$6 million
3	Planning and Rebuilding Support – additional planners, external specialist services, assessors, and building fee waivers to remove bottlenecks to rebuilding	$3.5million
4	Reconstruction of Community and Tourism Assets – including damaged sections of the Great Victorian Rail Trail that underpin local wellbeing and the visitor economy	$12.3 million
5	Council Costs Incurred – staffing surge capacity, overtime, and lost revenue directly associated with emergency response and recovery delivery	$4 million
6	Betterment Works – resilience improvements to bridges, roads and culverts to reduce future risk and repeat damage	$3 million
7	Unfunded Recovery Administration and Organisational Costs – including governance, compliance, grants acquittal and recovery data management	$3.2 million
8	Non‑eligible Infrastructure Repairs – essential repairs to impacted infrastructure that fall outside current eligibility settings	$11 million

 

Item	Other Priorities	Estimated Cost
1	Primary Producer Recovery Package - fencing replacement, pasture restoration, and livestock welfare support	$22 million
2	Business and Tourism Recovery Grants - including a locally‑targeted spend voucher program to stimulate recovery	$3 million
3	Environmental Restoration and Land Rehabilitation - habitat repair, wildlife care, erosion control, and weed management	$5 million
4	Power and Telecommunications Resilience - network redundancy, addressing 4G blackspots, and backup capability for emergency coordination	$10 million

 

Murrindindi Shire Council Bushfire Advocacy Priorities 2026(PDF, 710KB)