State member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland described the bushfire response as a systematic failure.
Photo by
Madeleine Blanche Photography
“It was a failure of leadership, systems and recovery.”
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The Nationals member for Euroa, Annabelle Cleeland, delivered a blistering account at the January bushfire inquiry’s open mic session on Friday, April 24.
Ms Cleeland, who represents communities across Longwood, Upton Hill, Ruffy, Creightons Creek and Goorum, voiced widespread community concerns alongside her own personal experience, including the destruction of her home.
Among the issues raised by Ms Cleeland were fireground co-ordination failures, communication breakdowns, unclear radio channels and operational planning changes that were not communicated to CFA volunteers on the ground.
“What we lived through was not just a bushfire,” Ms Cleeland said.
“There was a catastrophic breakdown in communication and command continuity.
“The fact that more people did not die is nothing short of a miracle.”
Ms Cleeland said volunteers were left without clear instruction at critical points during the fire, pushing them beyond safe limits and leaving many exhausted.
In its own submission to the inquiry, the Longwood CFA brigade highlighted the real-world impacts of these breakdowns, describing the system failures as “both disappointing and demoralising”.
“The required Command and Control structure was not in place, was poorly led and not as effective as it could have been in the initial stages of the fire,” the submission said.
According to the submission, communication failures left crews exposed to dangerous situations.
“Due to widespread loss of telecommunications, crews on the trucks were unable to utilise CFA radios to have direct access to information and communications,” it said.
“The reliability of the radio network under the pressures in the prevailing conditions did not stand up to expectations, making it very dangerous for firefighters working in such extreme weather conditions.
“Effective and instantaneous communication was unable to be established, hampering firefighting efforts and potentially putting crews at risk of burnover.”
The submission also said resources were deployed without suitably qualified operators, with some paid staff leaving volunteers to work out how to use advanced equipment.
“There were simply not enough volunteer staff who had the required expertise to man the divisional command structure, and the paid staff had left at the close of business hours.”
The Longwood bushfire in January damaged about 144,000 hectares. Image supplied by Seymour’s Mark Kelly.
Ms Cleeland said many volunteers lost their own homes and livelihoods during the fires, yet were excluded from basic emergency relief payments.
She said past inquiry recommendations had been poorly implemented, including significant failures around fuel reduction in high fire-risk areas.
Ms Cleeland said the road to recovery would be long for affected communities, calling for efficient clean-up, rebuilding and housing support systems.
She called for a universal clean-up program, faster rebuilding approvals, improved housing options and three years of rate exemptions, warning families were facing long-term financial strain.
Ms Cleeland ended her contribution by highlighting the strength of community-led recovery efforts, saying local farmers, volunteers and organisations stepped in when government systems failed.
“Our communities stepped up when the system failed,” she said.
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