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Local group calls for change in fire inquiry submission

By Contributed

May 20, 2026

Local grassroots group Protect Our Farms has called for the reform of Victoria’s emergency management system in its submission to the summer fires inquiry. Photo by Contributed

Local grassroots organisation Protect Our Farms recently presented its submission to the parliamentary Inquiry into the 2026 Summer Fires.

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The group’s submission set out a number of proposals on how to improve the emergency management system, and was built upon the firsthand accounts from members who were on the fire ground this summer.

Protect Our Farms is calling on the inquiry to act where, it says, previous inquiries have not.

Key proposals include formally recognising private firefighting units as a reserve force during emergencies and creating a common fuel reduction standard that holds government land managers to the same rules enforced on private landholders.

The group also calls for improvement to the volunteer recruitment system and granting communities the ability to conduct their own fire prevention works in rural townships.

In the submission, Protect Our Farms highlights the vast amount that farmers across the region invest in private tankers and firefighting equipment, and that these farmers are often involved in initial fire response.

The group argues that the contribution of these farmers is not recorded in CFA reports and that they are actively discouraged by emergency management agencies.

“Our members have centuries of combined experience on the fire ground. They know what works and what doesn’t,” Protect our Farms president Bill Chisholm said.

“We’re not just telling this inquiry what went wrong — we’re putting practical solutions on the table.”

More information on Protect Our Farms is available at farmprotect.org