Financial assistance after a bushfire

Victorian bushfires, January 2026 – financial support

Primary Producer Bushfire Recovery Grants

Grants of up to $75,000 are available to eligible primary producers, to help cover the costs of clean-up and reinstating their enterprises.

Funding can be used for essential recovery activities such as disposing of stock, rebuilding, or replacing damaged on-farm infrastructure and restoring operations.

Grants are open until 4pm on 21 October 2026. For information on eligibility and how to apply, visit Rural Finance.

Primary Producers Bushfire Recovery Concessional Loans

Loans of up to $250,000 are available for producers who have suffered significant damage to assets, while loans of up to $100,000 will support those experiencing a major loss of income.

This assistance will further help cover essential costs such as repairing or replacing damaged equipment, rebuilding infrastructure, purchasing livestock and meeting working capital expenses like wages, rent, and fodder.

Applications are open until 4pm on 21 October 2026. For information on eligibility and how to apply, visit Rural Finance or call 1800 260 425.

Australian Government disaster payments

Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment

The Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (AGDRP) is a one-off, non-means tested lump sum payment. It’s available if you’ve had major damage to your home or major assets that you own at your home. It can also help if you were seriously injured or your immediate family member has died or is missing. The payment is $1,000 for eligible adults and $400 for eligible children.

Applications remain open until the 19 October 2026 in the following declared areas:

• Leslie Manor in Corangamite Local Government Area (LGA)
• Woodfield in Mansfield LGA.

Applications closed for the AGDRP on 5 August 2026 for people in all other eligible Local Government Areas.

Disaster Recovery Allowance

The Disaster Recovery Allowance is an allowance for up to 13 weeks to help if you have lost income as a direct result of the January 2026 Victorian Bushfires. Applications are now closed.

Victorian Emergency Relief Recovery Foundation payment

A $1,000 payment was available if bushfires in Victoria significantly damaged or destroyed your home during the 2025-26 summer.

Applications are now closed.

For more information, visit Victorian Emergency Relief and Recovery Foundation.

Free clean-up program – you might still be eligible

Registrations for Emergency Recovery Victoria's Clean-Up Program will close on 31 August 2026.

If your home, business or community asset was damaged and you don’t have insurance (or not enough), you may be able to get free clean-up support. This may also include supporting structures like sheds.

Anyone who might be eligible should register. This includes properties that are insured, but where there is not enough to cover clean-up and a level of rebuild.

You can register if you are still talking to your insurer.

If you withdrew from the program, you can get back in touch with ERV to continue your clean-up registration.

Visit the Emergency Recovery Victoria clean-up page, or call the Emergency Recovery Hotline on 1800 560 760 (select option 3) to discuss your situation.

There is no wait time to speak to a member of the clean-up team.

Emergency Recovery Support Program

This program helps people affected by the bushfires navigate and access the government support programs and services they need. It can also help with things like insurance and legal questions, finding local services and connecting people to essential health and wellbeing support.

Dedicated recovery support workers will also be available for people who need extra help navigating their recovery.

The Emergency Recovery Support Program is available by calling the Emergency Recovery Hotline on 1800 560 760.

Business Recovery Advisory Service

Advisors will deliver free, confidential one-on-one support to business owners, tailored to their circumstances and supporting their long-term recovery.

The Small Business Financial Counselling service provides free and confidential financial counselling to businesses who are in financial risk or at risk of it due to the bushfires.

To be eligible, your business must have been impacted or located within one of the local government areas affected by the summer 2026 Victorian bushfires (AGRN 1242).

The program closes on 31 October 2026.

More information is available at Business Victoria or by calling 13 22 15.

Recovery Water Tank Rebates

Households that were not connected to mains water supply were eligible to receive a rebate of up to $1,500 for cleaning and decontaminating rainwater tanks, roofs, and gutters that are impacted by fires. The program is now closed.

Prolonged Power Outage Payments

Between 7-10 January, extreme weather and bushfires resulted in power outages across Victoria and subject to eligibility criteria, the Prolonged Power Outage Payment were available.

This program has now closed.

For more information visit Energy outages.

Personal Hardship Assistance Program

If a major emergency happens where you live, like a bushfire, the Victorian Government may give you money to help you. You do not need to pay this money back.

Emergency relief payments

Emergency relief payments were available following the bushfires that started in January 2026 across parts of Victoria.

This program has now closed.

Re-establishment assistance

Emergency re-establishment assistance is also available for eligible people impacted by the January 2026 fires.

It is designed to assist people and families to re-establish a principal place of residence. A principal place of residence is the primary home that you live in.

For more information visit Emergency Recovery Victoria.

Victorians impacted by the January 2026 bushfires can continue to access emergency recovery support from this event by calling the Emergency Recovery hotline on 1800 560 760.