Show us the money

A ministerial visit to Euroa on Wednesday, 12 February and a rounding on the state government by the Nationals saw both levels of the Labor party wanting for answers last week over the delayed flowing of funds to key bodies who mobilised immediately in the wake of the fire. Nationals’ Leader Danny O’Brien quizzed the Minister for the Environment Steve Dimopoulos in parliament on Tuesday February 10 about plant contractors not being paid for their services done to date - over five weeks since the fires’ start. “Why have contractors with heavy plant and equipment engaged to fight bushfires in Victoria not been paid, with an estimated $15 million now outstanding?” Mr O’Brien said. Mr Dimopoulos said he did not yet have a response to the question. “I have to fact-check his question, to be really honest with you,” Mr Dimopoulos said. “I will come back to (Mr O’Brien). “But it does give me an opportunity to commend the extraordinary work of those same contractors he is talking about.” After interjections, Mr Dimopoulos admitted that the public deserved an answer. “I think the Leader of the Nationals’ constituents deserve a proper response to that, and I will come back to him on that." After her heartfelt and emotional condolence speech in parliament, Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland then rounded on the Premier, asking why claims of increased funding to CFA were ‘peddled’ to the electorate. “Over summer, the Premier repeatedly claimed that delays in tabling the CFA annual report were due to delays in the Auditor General process, yet the Auditor General issued a statement categorically disproving the Premier’s claims” Ms Cleeland said. “Why did the Premier mislead members of the Avenel and Longwood CFA brigades in my electorate by blaming the independent umpire?” Premier Jacinta Allan was quick to hit back saying she would correct the ‘misinformation’ from Ms Cleeland’s question. “My answer to the tabling of the CFA’s annual report went to the auditing processes, and indeed there was some repeated back and forth between agencies and the Auditor-General’s office that enabled the final tabling of the report a couple of weeks ago,” Ms Allan said. “But the substance of the 2024–25 annual report shows that funding has increased to the CFA, so regardless of what date the annual report was tabled, the facts that are contained in the annual report are that funding has increased to the CFA. “Today the CFA is better funded, better supported, and better resourced because we back them. Ms Cleeland claimed the independent budget watchdog confirmed three consecutive years of cuts. Ms Allan said that when the fires struck on 7, 8, and 9 January, her focus was solely on supporting emergency services and those fire-affected communities. “The Leader of the Opposition’s [Jess Wilson] focus was on soliciting false information from the Parliamentary Budget Office to then peddle to those very same communities.” On a point of order, Mr O’Brien inferred that the premier had just admitted to the false information from the Parliamentary Budget Office. The Speaker did not uphold the point of order. Federal Minister for Emergency Services and Minister for Natural Disaster Recovery Vicki Ward said after Wednesday's opening of the Euroa Recovery Hub that she had visited the area about six times since the fires. "What people are doing for each other, how they're supporting each other, is so important," Ms Ward said. "And absolutely, they have to be thanked and acknowledged. "But I think it just talks to who we are as people in Victoria." Ms Ward would not be drawn on questions from this masthead about the start of funds reaching mental health workers who have been treating patients and clients since the start of the fire at their own expense. A spokesperson from the Premier's office said that two Wellbeing Local organisations, from Wangaratta and Benalla, had already begun mobilising professional mental health carers into the shire, but did not answer about reimbursement for unaffiliated workers who had already given up time.