Ms Cleeland said the inquiry was essential to ensure the experiences of affected communities were properly heard and that failures identified during the fire season were addressed.
“The only way our community will get honest answers about what happened this fire season is through a formal, independent inquiry that puts the voices of frontline volunteers, families and farmers at the centre,” Ms Cleeland said.
“Victorians deserve to know why calls for help went unanswered, why prevention work fell short and why promised resources failed to arrive, because lessons not learned now will cost lives next summer.
“This bushfire season has had a devastating impact on communities across regional Victoria and this inquiry will ensure we take a hard, honest look at how our systems performed when people needed them most.”
Ms Cleeland said the inquiry must focus on practical issues such as emergency warnings, power and telecommunications reliability, evacuation planning and co-ordination between agencies and emergency services.
“People need confidence that the systems designed to protect them will work in the most challenging conditions,” she said.
Ms Cleeland also acknowledged the extraordinary efforts of CFA volunteers and emergency service personnel during the fires.
“The commitment shown by volunteers and first responders was outstanding,” she said.
“This inquiry must support them by ensuring our emergency management systems are fit for purpose.
Ms Cleeland encouraged residents impacted by the fires to engage with the inquiry process when submissions open.
“I will continue to advocate strongly to make sure regional voices remain central throughout this inquiry,” she said.
