A Victorian Parliamentary inquiry into the 2026 summer fires across the state has extended the deadline for submissions from the public to Sunday 19 April.
The Legislative Council Environment and Planning Committee says it received feedback from communities and councils still dealing with the impacts of the blazes around the state.
“We’ve listened to members of the community who told us the deadline should be extended,” said Committee Chair, Ryan Batchelor.
“Hopefully this extra time means those directly affected by the fires, and those with knowledge of this topic can better share their experiences and insights with us.”
The inquiry is looking at a number of matters related to the fires, including:
- Preparation and planning by government, emergency services and community;
- The causes and circumstances of the bushfires, such as climate change;
- Resourcing of fire agencies, and support for volunteers;
- The emergency response to the fires;
- Resilience of critical services and infrastructure;
- Recovery efforts in affected communities;
- The impact of the fires on the environment.
“We have an extensive Terms of Reference for our inquiry on our website, and I would encourage all submitters to take a look at them as they prepare their submission,” Mr Batchelor said.
The summer fires claimed one life, destroyed over 500 structures and burned through more than 400,000 hectares.
The Committee intends on holding public hearings once the submission phase ends and is due to provide a report to parliament with findings and recommendations by mid-to-late 2026.
You can make a submission to the inquiry via the Committee’s website.
