Date: 25 June 2026
Murrindindi Shire Council is calling on the Victorian Government to extend free bushfire waste disposal at council sites until 30 June 2027, warning that ending the current arrangement on 30 June 2026 would shift recovery costs directly onto fire-affected residents still working through the aftermath of January’s bushfires.
Council expects to have received around 14,000 tonnes of bushfire debris at its landfill by the end of June — roughly equivalent to seven years of normal landfill throughput compressed into a matter of months.
Without a state government extension, Council would be required to charge full gate fees from 1 July. For construction and demolition waste, that would mean $362.59 per tonne in 2026–27, a figure that includes the State Government’s EPA levy of $155.95 per tonne.
Mayor Cr Damien Gallagher said the timing was at odds with the realities facing affected households.
“Recovery does not happen to a government deadline,” Cr Gallagher said. “Many people are still working through insurance, demolition, safety issues, contractor availability and the emotional toll of what has happened.”
Emergency Management Victoria figures from 16 June show 291 properties in Murrindindi have registered for clean-up, with 125 eligible for state government assistance. Of those eligible properties, 78 are either underway or complete. Council notes that many other properties — including sheds and outbuildings — are not eligible for state-supported clean-up but still require remediation.
Council is asking the state to fully fund debris disposal, including reimbursing council landfill operating costs and waiving the EPA levy. It says this approach is consistent with arrangements applied following previous disasters in Victoria.
Cr Gallagher said the extension was targeted and time-limited, not an open-ended commitment.
“Behind every load of fire-damaged waste is a household trying to rebuild, a family trying to move forward, or a property owner trying to make their land safe again,” he said.
Council also warned that withdrawing support prematurely could increase the risk of illegal dumping and delay clean-up across the region.