Victoria is facing severe bushfires throughout most of the state. A State of Disaster has been declared. Communities, farmers and businesses are facing heavy losses.
The Victorian and Australian Governments are providing essential support to communities hit by the January bushfires. This aid will help with both immediate and long-term recovery needs.
Help availablePersonal Hardship Assistance ProgramEmergency relief payments
You may be eligible for an emergency relief payment if you have unmet immediate relief needs and:
your principal place of residence is damaged or destroyed by the January 2026 bushfires, and you can’t live in it, oryour principal place of residence was in an evacuation warning area, and you evacuated your property.
Under this payment, people can get:
a one-off payment of $680 per adult and $340 per childup to a maximum of $2,380 per eligible family.
The payment is to help cover the costs of essentials like food, clothing, medication and accommodation. Payments are a fixed amount for each member of a household and are not calculated based on how much money you earn.
To apply for a payment:
The Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) can help you apply for this payment.
Call the VicEmergency Hotline 1800 226 226 (Press 0, then 1 to talk to someone)Visit an Emergency Relief Centre.
Have personal identification (ID) with you if you can. This could be a:
driver licenceMedicare cardletter or bill with your name and home address.Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment
People who have been impacted by the bushfires may also be eligible for an Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment.
This is a one off, non-means tested lump sum payment of $1,000 for eligible adults and $400 for eligible children.
More information is available on the Services Australia website.
Prolonged Power Outage Payments – Residential
If your residence has been without power for at least 7 days in a 2-week period, you are eligible to receive payments of up to $2,380.
Electricity distributors are responsible for administering the scheme, and have arrangements in place to distribute funds to residential customers. Residential customers can find their electricity distributor on the Energy Vic website.
This payment is only applicable to principal places of residence.
Emergency accommodation
Short-term emergency accommodation can help for anyone who can’t go home because of the bushfires. This ensures everyone has a safe place to stay.
You may be eligible if you have no other place to go.
Before seeking this support, people are encouraged to consider options such as:
contacting family or friends for supportspeaking to their insurance provider about what their policy will cover.
If you don’t have insurance or a place to stay, contact your local council.
Insurance cover
If you can’t stay at home, your insurance might cover temporary accommodation costs. Check your policy details or speak to your insurance provider to find out.
There will be limits on temporary accommodation cover. These are different depending on your policy.
Ask your insurance provider about any time limits or if you have a total budget. This can help you plan.
For example, if where you are staying has a high per night cost, like a hotel or short stay rental, you might use up your budget quickly. Talk to your insurer about staying in a cheaper place. A longer-term rental might be cheaper, which could let you stay longer.
Emergency Recovery Support Program
Emergency recovery support is available for people directly impacted by the January 2026 fires.
If this emergency has impacted you, it can be hard to know what to do next.
A range of support is available, based on you or your family’s needs.
Recovery support officers can guide you on your journey.
Emergency recovery support can be as simple as advice on what services are available or connecting you with programs that can help you.
Emergency recovery support can help with things like:
finding local services near youinsurance and legal questionsmoney problemsyour health and wellbeingregistering for government services.
If you need extra support, you may get help from a dedicated recovery support worker. They will work with you to find and access services you need.
If you were impacted by another emergency unrelated to the January 2026 fires, contact your local council to find supports in your area.
You can also find out more about support, advice and counselling available throughout your recovery.
Emergency Recovery Support can be accessed via:
The Emergency Recovery Hotline on 1800 560 760 (press 9 for an interpreter or call TIS on 131450).
State coordinated clean-up program
This program will let eligible fire-affected homeowners start the recovery process by funding key clean-up activities, like demolition and removal of hazardous materials. This will be available in the impacted LGAs for the principal place of residence for people who are uninsured and under-insured.
Waste disposal fees waived
People from the 18 LGAs impacted by the fire won’t need to pay any fees at waste disposal facilities if they show proof of residence, like a driver’s license.
The fee waivers will run for 120 days to 13 May 2026 to ensure impacted communities have enough time to clean up their property and start getting back on their feet.
The list of the 18 LGAs can be accessed on the State of Disaster webpage.
Primary Producer Grants
Primary Producer Grants of $75,000 can help cover the costs of clean-up and getting back to business – including safety inspections, equipment and wages for clean-up, and removing debris, damaged goods and deceased livestock.
Grants will open as soon as possible following finalisation of program guidelines.
Information on how to apply will be made available on the Rural Finance website.
Concessional Loans for Primary Producers
Concessional loans of up to $250,000 will be available for primary producers who have seen significant damage to assets due to fires.
Loans of up to $100,000 will also be available for those who have experienced a significant loss of income as a direct result of the fires.
The loans are intended to be used for restoring and replacing damaged assets, or for working capital expenses that cannot be met due to a loss of income.
This assistance will help cover essential costs such as repairing or replacing fire damaged equipment, rebuilding infrastructure, replacing livestock and meeting working capital expenses like wages, rent, and fodder.
To be eligible, primary producers must:
be in a declared LGA and have an ABNderive at least 50 per cent of gross income from primary production in an average year OR derive over $75,000 gross income from primary production.
The amount available is based on an assessment of the applicants’ financial position, including any amount recoverable under an insurance policy and cannot be more than the amount reasonably required.
Applicants can only apply for a maximum loan amount of $250,000.
The program will be administered by Rural Finance on behalf of the Victorian Government.
Applications for loans will open as soon as possible – information on how to apply will be made available on the Rural Finance website.
Livestock
Landholders concerned about livestock welfare can contact Agriculture Victoria on 1800 226 226. Agriculture Victoria will work with the fire Incident Controller to assess the request and determine the earliest and safest way to get access.
Farmers can access emergency fodder for livestock affected by the fires.
The Victorian Farmers Federation will lead the supply, transport, and distribution of fodder.
Further details about the program will be made available on the Victorian Farmers Federation website.
Counselling and social recovery
The Rural Financial Counselling Service (RFCS) is accessible for bushfire affected primary producers, and offers free, confidential wellbeing support alongside financial and business counselling support.
RFCS wellbeing counsellors can visit bushfire-affected producers at their property or talk over the phone to assist with mental health and wellbeing issues for individuals and their families.
To access the support of a wellbeing counsellor, call the Rural Financial Counselling Service on 1300 771 741.
The Look Over the Farm Gate (LOTFG) program being delivered by the National Centre for Farmer Health is available to farming communities experiencing stress and will now open on 16 January 2026.
The LOTFG has been brought forward to meet the immediate needs of bushfire affected communities and provides grants of up to $5,000 for events and activities to support mental health and wellbeing.
Further information will be available on the National Centre for Farmer Health website on Friday when applications open.
Financial counselling
Individuals and small businesses impacted by the fires are eligible for financial counselling.
Without early intervention and longer-term support, the financial impacts of disasters can compound trauma for communities affected by bushfires.
Specialist counsellors will help individuals and families access recovery grants, manage insurance claims, replace essential items and deal with debts through payment plans and fee waivers. They will also provide advocacy with insurers and creditors and connect people to legal support.
To access financial counselling, please visit a Recovery Hub.
Council Support Fund
Parks, playgrounds, footy grounds, community centres and other local assets have also been damaged during the recent fires.
The Council Support Fund will provide funding of up to $750,000 to bushfire-affected councils to help start clean-up and restoration of these local public assets.
The recovery journey can be long and difficult. Recovery Hubs serve as a one-stop-shop for disaster-affected communities to access services and information.
30 new Community Recovery Officers will be based in these hubs to provide local help to bushfire-affected communities.
Information on Community Recovery Hubs can be found on the VicEmergency website.
Other helpHelp with insurance
You can get free advice before accepting a settlement offer from your insurer. Talk to a financial counsellor through the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007.
The Financial Rights Legal Centre can help you with insurance issues. They have factsheets and sample letters you can send to your insurer.
You can contact Disaster Legal Help Victoria to ask about your legal questions.
General support
Emergency Recovery Victoria is still working alongside emergency services, councils, and community groups to assess recovery needs and provide support to affected communities.
Ongoing services can also help. For general support go to the Recovery services, wellbeing and support webpage.
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Donate
Information about how to donate money, goods or services is available on the VicEmergency website.