Council
2 April, 2026
Council to present concerns to inquiry
CORANGAMITE Shire Council will present a submission to a state government inquiry into the 2026 fires which impacted parts of the shire.
Councillors voted at last week’s Ordinary Meeting of Council to authorise the chief executive officer to make a submission into the Legislative Council of the Victorian Parliament’s Inquiry into the 2026 Summer Fires Across Victoria and request to speak to their submission.
The submission refers to the three fires which had a direct impact on the Corangamite Shire – the Streatham-Skipton fire and the Otways fire which started on January 9 and the Larralea fire which occurred on January 27.
Director sustainable development Justine Linley said both the Streatham-Skipton and the Otways fires were started by a widespread lightning event and extreme fire conditions and were among many significant bushfires.
“Two of these fires directly affected communities within, or immediately adjacent to, Corangamite Shire, requiring rapid coordination across emergency services, council departments and local community networks,” she said.
“A major grassfire on January 9–10, 2026 burned approximately 18,500–20,000 hectares across farmland and rural town interface, prompting rapid evacuations and large multiagency response.
“Residents began returning from January 13 as conditions eased and road access returned.
“Impacts across the fire area included 18 houses lost, a further six houses damaged, 79 sheds and structure lost or damaged, over 7000 sheep lost, over 1100 kilometres of fencing impacted and the loss of various farm equipment and machinery such as tractors, headers, bailers, trailer bins and quad bikes.”
Mrs Linley said the Larralea fire, which impacted communities north of Camperdown and south of Lismore, caused further property, livestock and environmental damage in addition to the initial fires.
“On January 27–28, 2026, fastmoving edge fires threatened communities northeast of Camperdown,” she said.
“There were 18 properties affected covering 2300 hectares with confirmed structure losses (two houses), four sheds, over 200km of fencing, livestock losses of over 700 head, over 2000 rolls or bales of hay and silage and loss of farm equipment such as ploughs, bailers and rollers.
“Since these fire events, council has been involved in concerted relief and recovery coordination in collaboration with emergency services organisation and agencies, state government departments, volunteers, the community and neighbouring councils.
“The submission addresses the committee’s Terms of Reference and draws upon the experiences of Corangamite Shire Council and the communities affected by the Yalla Y Poora (Streatham to Skipton) fire, the Larralea fire and the Otways district fire.
“Corangamite Shire’s experience from the 2026 summer fires strongly reflects statewide local government challenges identified through sector coordination, including increasing system stress from climate driven disaster complexity, the need for fit for purpose funding models and the growing risk posed by misinformation during emergencies.”
Council’s submission focuses on six key recommendations to address the challenges faced prior to, during and in the aftermath of the fires.
The submission calls for investment to increase power system resilience and improve communications in the regions, the expansion of roadside and private and public land fuel management, the modernisation of warning systems for fast-moving grassfires, explicit funding being made available for local government surge capacity, upgrades for the Country Fire Authority (CFA) and Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMV) and to local water points and the embedding of locally-led recovery governance and flexible grant opportunities.
Mrs Linley also took the opportunity to acknowledge the efforts of emergency services and volunteers from across the shire in fire-impacted areas.
“Corangamite Shire acknowledges the outstanding efforts of the CFA, FFMV, Fire Recovery Victoria (FRV), Victorian State Emergency Service (VICSES), Emergency Recovery Victoria (ERV), Victoria Police, local brigades, health and welfare agencies and the many volunteers and community members who worked tirelessly throughout the January 2026 fires,” she said.
“Their commitment, professionalism and community leadership were critical to protecting lives, livestock, homes and essential infrastructure during rapidly evolving fire conditions.
“Council also acknowledges the strong and timely support provided by ERV, Agriculture Victoria, Regional Development Victoria, Department of Families Fairness and Housing, Red Cross, Salvation Army, the Victorian Council of Churches Emergency Ministry, water authorities including Central Highlands Water and Wannon Water, Powercor and Services Australia whose staff assisted with relief services and support and early recovery support.
“Their presence and responsiveness contributed significantly to stabilising affected communities and maintaining confidence during the emergency.
“Despite the scale and speed of the January 2026 fires, there was no loss of life within Corangamite Shire – this outcome reflects the decisive actions taken by many under extremely challenging conditions.”
Read More: local