2026-02-06
The Allan Labor Government has rejected calls to provide funding for Victorians to make their homes more flood and fire resilient - despite a month of devastating bushfires and floods tearing through communities across Victoria.
In its response to the Greens-initiated parliamentary inquiry into climate resilience, Labor has knocked back key recommendations to protect households and communities from worsening climate disasters - including a dedicated Resilient Homes Fund and stronger investment in climate adaptation infrastructure.
While Victorians are left exposed, New South Wales and Queensland have already signed onto the Commonwealth Government’s $1.6 billion disaster resilience fund, which helps households rebuild, relocate and adapt homes in high-risk areas. Despite the Commonwealth signalling it was open to Victoria’s involvement, the Allan Labor Government has failed to sign up.
Climate disasters are already costing Victoria more than $2.7 billion every year. Instead of making the big polluting corporations driving climate damage pay their share, Labor is leaving taxpayers and disaster-hit communities to pick up the bill.
The inquiry report found the financial burden of climate disasters is being unfairly shifted onto communities, while highly polluting industries take no responsibility for the consequences of their business models.
The Greens are demanding big polluters pay for the climate crisis, a call shared by over a third of submissions to the inquiry - who argued that adaptation funding should come directly from the worst climate polluters.
Leader of the Victorian Greens Ellen Sandell said Labor’s response was “insulting” to communities who have lost everything and “utterly tone deaf” after weeks of fires and floods.
Quotes attributable to the Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell:
“Labor cried crocodile tears in Parliament for bushfire victims one day then the very next day refused to fund measures to protect the same communities in the future. After a month of climate disasters, it’s not just tone deaf, it’s insulting.”
“While families are exhausted and traumatised, trying to put their lives back together, the coal and gas companies driving the climate crisis are making massive profits and getting special treatment from Labor.”
“Labor should get out of bed with the big polluters and actually make them pay for the damage they’re causing.”