Council & Politics
31 March, 2025
“I’m all ears” – Nationals leader discusses bushfire response
The Victorian Leader of the Victorian Nationals was in Halls Gap this week to hear directly the concerns of local business people following the recent Grampians bushfire.
The Victorian Leader of the Victorian Nationals was in Halls Gap this week to hear directly the concerns of local business people following the recent Grampians bushfire.
A number of businesses are struggling to survive following the fires due to a lack of visitation and a slow assistance program from government.
The bushfire in the Grampians National Park was sparked by dry lightning on December 17 burning 76,000 hectares of state forest and private land.
The timing of the fire couldn’t have been worse for communities like Halls Gap and Pomonal which heavily rely on tourism during the summer holidays.
Half a dozen business owners along with representatives of Northern Grampians Shire Council met with Nationals Leader Danny O’Brien and Member for Lowan Emma Kealy at Halls Gap Hotel on Wednesday to discuss the flow on impact of the fires.
Business owners vented frustration at the lack of tourism business, the loss of staff, high water bills (to fight the fire) and inability to get insurance as key issues they are facing.
One business owner said she had received a water bill of over $10,000 for water used to defend her property.
Another stated her insurance has jumped from $20,000 to $80,000.
“Business interruption insurance is worth nothing. You pay all this money and get nothing for it. Our premiums have gone from $20,000 to $80,000,” she said.
Another operator from Pomonal said he could no longer source insurance for his property other than public liability insurance.
Nationals Leader Danny O’Brien said lack of support from the State Government was compounding stress on local business owners.
"It was heartbreaking to hear some of the stories from businesses at Halls Gap affected by the summer fires.
"There are clearly many businesses hurting and the loss of income, insurance issues and lack of support from the state government is causing ongoing stress.
"We need some genuine support from the government to get tourists back to the region, to get cash flow happening and allow these businesses to survive the coming winter.
"Emma Kealy has been championing these causes in Parliament and we will continue to advocate for a stronger, more meaningful response from the government,” Mr O’Brien said.
Earlier this month, the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments announced a multi-million dollar package of support to help bring tourism and economic activity back to the Grampians following the recent bushfire.
The assistance package is valued at more than $29 million to support immediate and long-term recovery around Halls Gap and other Grampians communities.
The assistance is being provided through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).
More than $24 million will deliver support to Western Victoria businesses affected by the bushfires, including a dedicated Business Bushfire Recovery Grant program to provide $5,000 grants to small businesses and eligible primary producers, a Business Recovery Advisory service and tourism marketing and promotion.
Grampians Tourism chief executive Mark Sleeman said the "machinery was slow to react" but he was pleased by the announcement.
“We are grateful for the funding. We’ve been advocating very strongly with the state government and we had Minister Dimopolous meeting with impacted and fire affected businesses and while the funding has been a little while coming it represents that first step towards ensuring the Grampians and Wimmera Mallee businesses can start to rebuild,” he said.
"We'd love to have seen this announced much earlier … but really just happy that we can start moving forward," he said.
Member for Lowan said two weeks after the funding announcement, some businesses are struggling to stay afloat.
To make matters worse, Grampians business owners were shocked to learn that their counterparts in Queensland and New South Wales who were affected by ex-tropical cyclone Alfred – which hit two and a half months after the fires – were granted access to business support within three days of the cyclone hitting, and are eligible for 10 times the amount of money that Victorian businesses are,” Ms Kealy said.
“While this support is already flowing, bushfire-affected businesses in the Grampians remain locked out of any meaningful assistance,” she said.
Ms Kealy said the Government has done little to improve the prospects of local businesses in the Grampians.
“It’s why I stood in Parliament last week to call out the Premier, the Minister for Emergency Services and the Minister for Tourism for the way they have failed our region.
“I also asked for an explanation as to why Grampians businesses are only eligible for $5000 in disaster support, while cyclone-affected businesses in northern states are eligible for $50,000, and why support for our state has been so incredibly slow to get to where it’s needed,” she said.
“Natural disasters don’t discriminate, but it would certainly seem that Labor governments do. If you live in Victoria, sadly you cannot rely on Premier Allan to deliver, even in your time of greatest need,” Ms Kealy said.