Allan Labor Leaves Bushfire Contractors Stranded
The Allan Labor Government's financial mismanagement has continued, with the revelation contractors supporting this summer's bushfire effort haven't yet been paid.
It's understood multiple contractors providing heavy machinery to support bushfire suppression haven't been paid, despite some starting work on fires in December.
In many cases, the outstanding amounts tally into the hundreds of thousands of dollars for individual contractors, with an estimated $15 million in total.
When Leader of The Nationals and Shadow Minister for Emergency Services, Danny O'Brien put this to the Government during Question Time, the Government was oblivious.
Mr O'Brien said contractors have been told Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMV) hasn't paid them because they don't have the staff to process timesheets.
In response, Environment Minister Steve Dimopoulos said FFMV was not focussed on "bookkeeping".
Mr O'Brien said Labor's payment tardiness was unacceptable and was placing enormous pressure on small businesses with very large overheads.
"Some of the work undertaken by these contractors started before Christmas. That's six weeks ago, and they still haven't been paid," Mr O'Brien said.
"These are highly skilled contractors with very expensive machinery and large costs, from maintenance, to fuel, to paying their workers. To not have been paid for their work is understandably causing them a lot of anxiety.
"These contractors are doing incredible work in dangerous conditions to support the fire effort and to have to wait for payment is threatening their businesses."
Shadow Minister for Public Land Management, Melina Bath, said the Allan Labor Government's inability to pay the contractors was yet another example of how it simply cannot manage money.
"A core duty of the Allan Government is the rightful payment of those who play a pivotal role in the bushfire response this summer," Ms Bath said.
"Contractors are an integral part of fire suppression, removing dangerous trees, installing containment lines, and opening roads.
"It's shameful that Labor cannot find the decency to prioritise these small businesses who themselves have wages and costs to pay."
The non-payment of contractors follows significant job cuts in the past two years within FFMV and DEECA's bushfire and forest services division.
https://vic.liberal.org.au/article/2026-02-05-bushfire-contractors-left-high-and-dry-by-allan-labor-government
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