Following considerable community pressure and lobbying by Towong Shire Council, the Victorian Parliament’s summer fires inquiry decided to hold a dedicated ‘open mic’ session for Towong residents.

“While this session will be held online and not physically in the shire, it will at least provide an opportunity for the inquiry to hear the voices of our communities directly,” said Towong mayor, Cr Peter Tolsher.

Unfortunately, the ‘open mic’ session was held online yesterday which left little time for it to be publicised widely.

“It is disappointing that following representations from the community, council and this newspaper the inquiry did not allow sufficient time for all interested parties to prepare a submission for Wednesday’s session,” said Mark Collins, editor of the Corryong Courier.

“We did not even receive a media release from the inquiry which would have at least allowed us to post the ‘open mic’ information online.”

The inquiry also set a limit of twenty speaking slots for community members, each for three minutes only.

Meanwhile, Towong Council has lodged a formal submission with the inquiry.

While the focus of its presentation to the inquiry is the fire event in the summer of 2026, it also notes the regular experience of emergency events in the shire and the criticality of governments at all levels understanding, preparing for and responding to the ever-present risks and events that rural communities experience.

The submission notes that there have been and will continue to be for some time, broad economic impacts felt within Towong Shire including:

• the loss of trade for local businesses due to prolonged road closures, restricted access and reduced customer movement;
• the cancellation of accommodation, events and tourism activities during the peak summer period affected hospitality, retail and visitor-based businesses; and
• increased financial stress for households and businesses (with compounding impacts on mental health and wellbeing).

Council pinpoints fire issues

The inability of key infrastructure services (i.e. power and telecommunication) to maintain reliable and adequate performance during bushfire emergencies was also identified as a serious matter that must be addressed as a priority.

The submission said the provision of relief or evacuation centres in the Upper Murray (Corryong and surrounds) is a major challenge in bushfire events and is a lesson that has not been adequately learned from the 2019/20 fires. It recommended that both the Victorian and New South Wales governments better support local cross border communities in establishing and resourcing relief and response outcomes.

The transition of the fire event to the recovery stage under the management and responsibility of council has also identified serious issues with the administration and management of Commonwealth and/or State grant support programs.

Importantly, the submission noted that the condition of the Murray Valley Highway and Murray River Road is very poor in non-emergency times; plagued by an array of significant and dangerous potholes, deteriorating and rough surfaces, crumbling road shoulders, and more.

“In emergency events such as the recent fire, these road conditions are unacceptable, particularly given that both roads are the evacuation routes for community members, and access and response routes for control agencies,” the submission stated.

“Significant government funding to restore the roads and to maintain appropriate condition is an urgent requirement.”

Council’s [redacted] submission to the inquiry can be viewed at
[https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/2026firesinquiry – Submission No 292.

This article appeared in the Corryong Courier, 7 May 2026.