Council calls for bushfire business recovery support

Published on 10 April 2026

Murrindindi Shire Council has escalated its call for urgent State and Commonwealth business recovery funding through a formal open letter to the Minister for Small Business and Employment, warning that many local businesses face permanent closure without immediate government intervention.

The open letter calls on the Victorian and Australian Governments to urgently introduce targeted, disaster‑specific recovery grants for businesses directly and indirectly impacted by the January 2026 bushfires. While such grants have been offered following previous floods, fires and the Covid pandemic, no equivalent business support has been made available following these catastrophic fires.

Murrindindi Shire Mayor Cr Damien Gallagher said the letter reflects the severity of the situation facing local businesses, many of which are experiencing an acute and worsening cashflow crisis following a subdued Easter trading period.

“We have written an open letter to the Minister for Small Business and Employment, because the situation for our local businesses has become critical. Without direct State and Commonwealth recovery funding, many simply will not survive,” said Cr Gallagher.

Council is calling for the introduction of recovery grants for businesses able to demonstrate significant loss of trade and clear viability risk as a result of the fires, including businesses indirectly impacted through reduced visitation, disrupted supply chains and rising costs.

The proposed approach would better reflect the realities of rural and regional economies by recognising small, mixed and diversified enterprises, including farm‑based and tourism‑related businesses that fall outside current primary producer eligibility criteria.

“The absence of any business‑specific disaster recovery funding following these fires is creating a growing sense of inequity. Eligibility rules need to recognise the diversity of modern regional businesses and the scale of income loss they’ve experienced,” said Cr Gallagher.

Council warns that failure by governments to act quickly will have lasting consequences for local towns, including loss of essential services, reduced employment and long‑term economic contraction.

“If businesses quietly close over the coming months, those losses will be felt across entire communities for years to come,” said Cr Gallagher.

Murrindindi Shire Council has advised it is ready to work closely with State and Commonwealth agencies to support the effective design and delivery of any future business recovery programs, drawing on established local business relationships and Community Business Connect engagement.

“We are ready to work with government to ensure support is targeted, practical and delivered quickly. This funding must come forward now, while recovery remains possible. Timing is everything and we have requested urgent consideration of these measures and welcomes further discussions with government,” said Cr Gallagher.