By Aaron Cordy
WHEN the bushfire tore through the state, destroying homes, livestock and taking one life as it burnt across 150,000 hectares in the Longwood/Ruffy area, a conflagration was sparked with accusations of a lack of preparedness, outdated firefighting equipment and underfunding of the CFA added to the grief of the suffering community.
In the wake of the fires, a Legislative Council Environment and Planning Committee Inquiry into the 2026 summer fires across Victoria was called, and the Minister for Emergency Services also requested that the Inspector-General for Emergency Management (IGEM) undertake an independent review commencing following the conclusion of the Parliamentary Inquiry.
The Parliamentary Inquiry is expected to report in late July 2026, comprising 12 MPs from Labor, the Coalition, the Greens, the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party, the Libertarian Party, including Wendy Lovell MP, and is chaired by Ryan Batchelor MP. Once the inquiry is completed in July, the IGEM expects to receive a “Terms of Reference” for its review.
“Last summer’s fires were devastating – our focus is on learning from them and supporting the Victorian communities impacted,” said a Victorian Government spokesperson.
“As they do after every fire season, emergency agencies are currently reviewing last summer’s fires through independently supported after–action reviews, with their lessons to be put into action before the next high–risk season.
“As the independent Inspector–General has said, staging the reviews allows her work to consider the Parliamentary Inquiry’s findings while also ensuring our emergency agencies aren’t stretched across multiple major reviews at once.”
There has been backlash that the IGEM review will not be completed in time to guide preparations for the upcoming fire season. With Member for Euroa, Annabelle Cleeland, leading the charge.
“This was a tragedy, and there are serious questions that need answering. Significant elements of this disaster could have been avoided, and we need that feedback before we make the same mistakes next summer,” Ms Cleeland said.
“We are staring down the barrel of another dangerous fire season, and the Allan Labor Government still hasn’t delivered the findings from the last one.
“How can communities have confidence that the system will improve if the review process itself is delayed and lacking urgency?”
