Towong Shire Council urgently calls on the Parliament of Victoria to conduct “open mic” sessions - being held as part of the Legislative Council Environment and Planning Committee’s Inquiry into the 2026 summer bushfires - in Towong Shire.
Inquiry sessions open to the public have been confirmed in Colac, Alexandra and Natimuk/ Quantong. The nearest of these locations relative to Corryong in the Upper Murray is Alexandra which is almost 350km away and a drive of over three and a half hours in duration. Canberra is closer to Corryong than Natimuk and the drive time of approximately six hours to Colac is the same as the drive time to Sydney.
Towong Shire Council Mayor Peter Tolsher said:
“Towong Shire was heavily impacted by the 2026 bushfires. The psychosocial impacts on community members have been significant with many individuals re-experiencing trauma with the 2019/20 Black Summer fire event. The resulting mental strain and emotional burden are evident to Council’s Recovery team as it continues to provide necessary support services.
“We are deeply concerned by the absence of any scheduled “Open Mic” session in Towong Shire. Local communities will rightly see this as dismissive of their experiences and it conveys an unintended but clear message that their experiences are not considered as important as other locations, and that their individual and collective voice are not being equally valued.
“Council is seeking urgent assurances that the Parliamentary Inquiry will reconsider and visit the Upper Murray and hold “open mic” sessions here that are fully accessible to our community,” Mayor Tolsher said.
The Walwa River Road fire event commenced on 5 January 2026 and burned for almost two months. It impacted 121,000 hectares of land within Towong Shire. Whilst the majority of the fireground was contained to public forests, parks, and a privately owned large pine plantation, more than 17,000 hectares of private agricultural land was burnt by the fire, including hundreds of kilometres of rural fencing, and significant numbers of livestock.
“Thankfully, no lives were lost in Towong Shire because of the Walwa River Road fire but sadly the fire destroyed nine places of primary residence, along with 93 farms sheds, a range of other farm-based infrastructure such as silos, water tanks, and stock yards, and vast amounts of fencing.
“Residents across our Shire spent most of January and early February living under – and adhering to – the very highest levels of VicEmergency warnings including dozens of “Take Shelter Now” and “Leave Immediately” warnings.
“Our residents were also significantly impacted by the closure of major roads in the Shire – in particular the Murray Valley Highway which was closed for three weeks in January effectively cutting the Shire in half both north from south, and east from west.
“The closure of roads and key visitor sites resulted in workforce and trade disruption and the loss of peak-season tourism trade. And locals - and walking and cycling communities across the country - are also mourning the loss of the iconic timber rail trestle bridges between Tallangatta and Corryong.
“Our communities have endured so much already in 2026 because of the bushfires and rightly deserve to be able to relay their insights and experiences at “open mic” sessions in Towong Shire itself,” Mayor Tolsher said.
Council has written to the Legislative Council Environment and Planning Committee to formally request these sessions and is currently finalising its submission to the Inquiry. Our submission will include a request to be included in any public hearings facilitated by the Inquiry.
Ends.
