Shadow Minister for Public Land Management, Melina Bath, has accused the Allan Labor Government of downplaying Victoria’s bushfire risk after Environment Minister, Enver Erdogan, described the recent fire season as causing “as minimal damage as possible” — despite more than 430,000 hectares burning across Victoria.
Ms Bath said the Minister’s comments exposed a government more interested in protecting its political image than confronting the reality facing regional communities and firefighters.
“Calling this ‘minimal damage’ is an insult to the regional communities who lived through these fires,” Ms Bath said.
“This is not honesty, it is an attempt to downplay a serious failure of bushfire preparedness.”
Ms Bath said the government appeared more focused on defending its record than addressing the growing fire risks faced by regional Victorians.
“Land management is going backwards at the very time bushfire risk is increasing. That is a dangerous equation,” Ms Bath said.
“When a government starts congratulating itself instead of answering questions, it tells you everything you need to know about its priorities.”
The hearing also confirmed Victoria continues to fall well short of the Bushfires Royal Commission benchmark of treating at least five per cent of public land annually.
In contrast, only 114,000 hectares were treated this year — approximately 1.4 per cent of Victoria’s public land estate.
“Hazardous fuel loads continue to build, increasing the risk to communities, homes and frontline firefighters,” Ms Bath said.
Serious concerns were also raised about frontline firefighting capability, with officials admitting there are “definitely some vulnerabilities” within Labor’s firefighting fleet.
Ms Bath said those admissions raised significant questions about operational readiness, reliability and community safety ahead of future fire seasons.
“Despite these warnings, the Allan Labor Government has no clear replacement timeline, no detailed upgrade plan, and no transparency around how these risks will be addressed,” she said.
“This is a government that cannot explain its preparedness, cannot meet basic fuel reduction standards, and cannot guarantee frontline capability. Victorians deserve better.”