Bath rounds on minister over 430,000ha fire season

State Nationals MP Melina Bath has accused Environment Minister Enver Erdogan of downplaying the scale of last summer's bushfire season after he told a parliamentary hearing the damage had been "as minimal as possible" despite more than 430,000 hectares burning across Victoria.

Ms Bath, the Coalition's spokesperson for public land management, said the minister's choice of words during the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee hearing was an insult to the regional communities that fought through the fires.

"Calling this 'minimal damage' is an insult to the regional communities who lived through these fires," Ms Bath said.

"This is not honesty, it is an attempt to downplay a serious failure of bushfire preparedness."

The committee was told only 114,000 hectares of public land was treated for fuel reduction this year, equating to about 1.4 per cent of the public land estate and well short of the 5 per cent annual benchmark set by the 2009 Bushfires Royal Commission.

Officials at the hearing also conceded there were "definitely some vulnerabilities" in the state's firefighting fleet, an admission Ms Bath said raised serious questions about the readiness for the next fire season.

"Hazardous fuel loads continue to build, increasing the risk to communities, homes and frontline firefighters," she said.

"This is a government that cannot explain its preparedness, cannot meet basic fuel reduction standards, and cannot guarantee frontline capability.

"Victorians deserve better."

Mr Erdogan told the committee the government's priority had been keeping damage to a minimum across the 430,000 hectares that burned through the 2025-26 season.

Forest Fire Management Victoria's most recent annual figures show the agency delivered fuel management treatments across 109,938 hectares of public land in 2024-25 including 270 planned burns covering 92,473 hectares.

The agency has separately said 97 planned burns covering 81,000 hectares are prepared and ready for ignition across Gippsland for the 2026 program, with priority works around Noojee, Erica, Heyfield and Mallacoota focused on country sitting closest to towns.

The agency says reducing fuel loads of grass, leaves, bark, shrubs and small fallen branches helps fires burn less intensely and spread more slowly when they do start, keeping conditions safer for firefighters on the ground.

Ms Bath said replacing fleet capability was equally urgent.

"Despite these warnings, the Allan Labor Government has no clear replacement timeline, no detailed upgrade plan, and no transparency around how these risks will be addressed," she said.

Bass Coast and South Gippsland communities saw extensive fire activity through the 2025-26 summer season, with the state-wide burn total of more than 430,000 hectares the largest in recent years.