Financial and legal support

Relief and recovery payments

Emergency Relief Payments and re-establishment payments are available for eligible people affected by the January 2026 fires.

Emergency relief payments

You can apply for an emergency relief payment if:

your principal place of residence is damaged or destroyed by the January 2026 bushfires, and you can’t live in it, or
your principal place of residence was in an evacuation warning area, and you evacuated your property

and

you have unmet immediate relief needs.

Emergency re-establishment payments

You can apply for an emergency re-establishment payment if you:

do not have much money to fix your home damaged by a major emergency, AND
do not have building or contents insurance, AND
cannot return home because it is damaged or destroyed, AND
cannot get to your home for more than seven days because of a major emergency.

How to apply

A support officer from The Department of Families, Fairness and Housing can help you apply for emergency relief and re-establishment payments.

By phone

For emergency relief payments

Call the VicEmergency Hotline 1800 226 226. Press 0, then 1 to talk to someone.
Press 9 for an interpreter if you need one.

For re-establishment payments

Call the Emergency Recovery Hotline on 1800 560 760. Press 4 to apply for a re-establishment assistance payment.

Press 9 for an interpreter if you need one or call TIS on 131 450.

What you need to apply

Have personal identification (ID) with you if you can. This could be a:

driver licence
Medicare card
letter or bill with your name and home address.

For re-establishment payments you will also need to show proof of:

your income. For example, a payslip or Centrelink payment summary
your insurance status. For example, a document from your insurance company
the impact on your home, for example, photos of damage or quotes for repairs.

Services Australia

There are two Australian Government payments you may be eligible for if you've been directly affected by the Victorian Bushfires, January 2026 in a declared area:

Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment

Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (AGDRP) is to help you if the disaster caused 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.

It’s a lump sum non-taxable payment of $1,000 for eligible adults and $400 for eligible children under 16.

If you’re a New Zealand citizen living in Australia, you may be eligible for New Zealand Disaster Recovery Payment.

For more information on eligibility and how to claim, visit the Services Australia website. You can also find Services Australia staff the Recovery Hub at the Castlemaine Town Hall or the Harcourt Leisure Centre. Check the Services Australia website for the latest times and locations.

Disaster Recovery Allowance

Disaster Recovery Allowance (DRA) is financial support if you’ve lost income as a direct result of this disaster.

If you’re eligible, you’ll get the maximum equivalent rate of JobSeeker Payment or Youth Allowance, depending on your personal circumstances

DRA is a taxable payment.

If you’re a New Zealand citizen living in Australia, you may be eligible for New Zealand Disaster Recovery Allowance.

Help for businesses

Tell us how your business has been affected

Mount Alexander Shire Council wants to know if your business has been affected by the current fire event in our region.

We want to know how many businesses have been impacted, and to what extent. We can connect you to support services and advocate on behalf of shire businesses for state and federal support.

Tell us how your business has been affected by filling out this form.

Victorian Chamber 2026 Bushfire HR Support Helpline

The Victorian Chamber is offering FREE, practical HR guidance for business owners in our shire, with workplace relations advisers assisting with urgent HR questions, employee entitlements, and referrals to trusted contacts.

Support includes:

Pay and leave if staff are stood down (annual, personal/carer’s, unpaid leave, and related options)
Employee entitlements when staff cannot safely attend work (including leave and flexible arrangements)
Guidance on pay when sending staff home versus a government directive
Information on payments for employees affected by the fires
Referrals to additional support, helplines, and agencies (e.g. recovery grants, business advice, employment support)

Call 03 8662 5461 Monday to Friday 9.00am – 5.00pm.

Help for farmers

Emergency Fodder Support Program

Emergency fodder is being made available for farmers in fire-affected areas. To request fodder, contact the Victorian Farmers Federation on 1300 882 833 or lodge a request on the Victorian Farmers Federation website.

Agriculture Victoria has advice for farmers who have experienced loss of stock or farming assets.

Victorian Primary Producer Bushfire Recovery Grants

Grants of up to $75,000 to assist with the costs of clean-up and reinstatement of primary production enterprises that have suffered direct damage. Learn more here.

Concessional Loans for Primary Producers

Loans of up to $250,000 will be 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. Learn more here.

Fencing

Eligible property owners may get support to repair fencing if:

firefighting or disaster response teams brought about the damage, or
the fence is on the boundary of National Parks, State Parks or State Forests.

Advice

To find out if your damage is eligible for support, you can contact DEECA on 136 186. In most cases, fences not on the boundary of parks or those covered by insurance won’t qualify for support.

Rural Aid

Rural Aid supports farmers when disaster strikes. Visit their website to apply for financial assistance, fodder and domestic water assistance and to learn about their counselling and wellbeing support services.

Help for artists and creatives

Counseling and mental health support

Artists and arts workers can access free, confidential, 24/7 mental health support through the Support Act Wellbeing Helpline.

Support Act Wellbeing Helpline (all creative industries): 1800 959 500
Support Act First Nations Support Line: 1800 959 500

Support Act Crisis Relief Grants - music industry

Crisis Relief Grants and tax help are available to musicians, managers, crew and music workers across all genres experiencing financial hardship as the result of illness, injury, mental health, older age or another current crisis that is impacting their ability to work in music.

Support Act provides Crisis Relief Grants for musicians, managers, crew and music workers experiencing financial hardship due to illness, injury, mental health challenges, older age, or other crises impacting their ability to work.

Crisis Relief Grants – Music Industry

Crisis Relief Grants – First Nations Music Workers

Artists’ Benevolent Fund

National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) is collecting donations to support visual artists affected by natural disasters across Victoria, NSW and Queensland. The fund is currently being replenished, and NAVA is seeking donations to help visual artists facing unexpected hardship.

Victorian Actors Benevolent Trust

The Victorian Actors Benevolent Trust offers support for Victorian-based performing arts workers experiencing medical or health-related crises. Assistance is available across theatre, film, TV, circus, dance, opera and comedy.

Contact the Trust to check your eligibility.

Legal help

ARC Justice bushfire legal help

There are often issues lots of people experience post-disaster:

Renters' rights – what happens if your rental property has been damaged or destroyed?
Court access and orders – what happens if the bushfires impact your court date or make court orders hard to follow?
Insurance claims – what should you expect from your insurer and what are your rights if they offer you a cash settlement?
Emergency payments – what if you have trouble accessing payments from the government or your insurance?
… and anything else that comes up – if there is a legal element, we’ll help you find the right information or link you to the right support service.

Find out more on their website or call their offices on 03 5445 0909 or 1800 450 909.

Disaster legal help

Legal information for people affected by current bushfires.

Visit their website or call 1800 113 432 weekdays from 8.00am to 6.00pm.

January 2026 fire and heat updates