Murrindindi Shire Council is calling on the Victorian Government to urgently revise the delivery model for recently announced bushfire mental health funding, warning that the current announced approach risks leaving some of the state's most heavily impacted communities without accessible support.
In an open letter to The Hon. Ingrid Stitt MP, Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Council has raised serious concerns that Murrindindi Shire is effectively excluded due to the tyranny of distance and being disconnected from the primary mechanism through which the $6.9 million joint Commonwealth-State mental health package will be delivered.
The January 2026 bushfires burned through around a third of Murrindindi Shire, destroying approximately 200 homes and accounting for almost half of all residential losses across Victoria. Together with Strathbogie Shire, Murrindindi experienced a disproportionate share of the damage, with families displaced, livelihoods lost and communities re-traumatised.
Despite this scale of impact, Murrindindi Shire does not sit within the catchment of any Mental Health and Wellbeing Local facilities. The nearest services are located in Benalla, Shepparton and Lilydale, requiring travel of between 85 and 160 kilometres, or up to two-and-a-half hours each way, with no public transport options for many affected residents.
Murrindindi Shire Council Mayor Damien Gallagher said the current model creates an unacceptable barrier to care for people already dealing with trauma and loss.
"While we welcome the commitment of additional mental health funding, the way it is proposed to be delivered simply does not work for rural and dispersed communities like ours," Cr Gallagher said.
"For people experiencing trauma, grief and loss, asking them to travel long distances away from their support networks is not a minor inconvenience - it is a barrier that will prevent access altogether."
Council is calling for a portion of the funding to be allocated directly to established local services in Murrindindi Shire, including Yea and District Memorial Hospital, Alexandra District Health and the Lower Hume Primary Mental Health Service. These providers have strong local knowledge, trusted relationships and proven experience delivering trauma-informed care in rural communities.
"Their work behind the scenes, supporting individuals and families through what is an incredibly difficult time, should be recognised and sincerely thanked," he said.
Since the bushfires, local health providers have reported a significant surge in demand, averaging an additional 30 hours per week across services. Council has warned this level of demand is unsustainable without immediate and targeted investment.
Cr Gallagher said the current approach contradicts the National Disaster Mental Health and Wellbeing Framework, which emphasises place-based, flexible and locally responsive recovery.
"Our experience is clear - local, trusted services work," he said.
"Following previous disasters, locally delivered health responses prevented escalation and avoided far more costly interventions later. Investing directly in local services ensures continuity of care and sustainable recovery outcomes."
Council has formally called on the Victorian Government to:
- Immediately allocate a proportion of the announced funding directly to local providers in Murrindindi Shire
- Enable flexible funding arrangements that allow services to scale outreach, engagement and therapeutic support now
- Ensure delivery models for rural and dispersed communities align with national disaster mental health principles
"Recovery is not one-size-fits-all," Cr Gallagher said. "Murrindindi has carried an extraordinary share of Victoria's bushfire impact. Our community deserves an equitable, accessible and locally delivered mental health recovery response."
