Register for free clean-up support after the January 2026 bushfires

Registering for free clean-up support

Free removal of eligible bushfire affected structures is now available. To register for clean up support:

Use the drop down below to check that you live in one of the council areas where clean up support is available.
Check that you meet all eligibility requirements below.
If you are in one of the council areas listed on this page and meet all eligibility requirements, fill out the Registration form
If you are unsure, register and we can help you check if you are eligible.

Forge Solutions has been appointed as the head contractor. Local trades that want to work on the program can express interest through the Forge Solutions website forgesolutions.au.

We will never send people to your property without telling you.

Anyone who visits on our behalf will:

wear Victorian Government or Forge Solutions clothing or branding
have photo ID
never ask you for money.

If you are unsure about someone, call the Emergency Recovery Hotline on 1800 560 760 to check.

- Alpine Shire Council
- Ararat Rural City Council
- Benalla Rural City Council
- Campaspe Shire Council
- Colac Otway Shire Council
- Corangamite Shire Council
- East Gippsland Shire Council
- Golden Plains Shire Council
- Greater Bendigo City Council
- Horsham Rural City Council
- Lake Mountain Alpine Resort
- Macdeon Ranges Shire Council
- Mansfield Shire Council
- Midura Rural City Council
- Mitchell Shire Council
- Moira Shire Council
- Mount Alexander Shire Council
- Murrindindi Shire Council
- Pyrenees Shire Council
- Strathbogie Shire Council
- Towong Shire Council
- Wellington Shire Council
- Wodonga City Council
- Yarra Ranges Shire Council

Eligibility

Every property is different. Register even if you are not sure you are eligible. The team will help you based on your situation.

Homes

You may be eligible for free demolition of your home.

Your home is the property where you usually live - your primary place of residence. Structures like sheds may also be eligible if they are close to your home, even if you home is not damaged.

To be eligible for free demolition the damage must be:

to your primary place of residence (or supporting structures at your home, such as sheds)
caused by the January 2026 bushfires
in an eligible council area
uninsured or underinsured.

Second homes, like holiday homes, are not eligible. Other clean-up services are available to help. See the other help available on our Clean-up and waste page.

Businesses

You may be eligible for free demolition of business structures if you operate a business that:

has structures damaged by the January 2026 bushfires
is in an eligible council area
has an ABN
is uninsured or underinsured
you intend to re-establish the business on site.

To be eligible you should either:

have 20 or fewer full-time employees, working a combined total less than 700 hours a week. If employee numbers vary across the year, we use the average number.
be a sole trader with no employees and get more than half of your income from the business.

Employers
Your workforce can be made up of full-time and part-time employees. When you add them all up it should be equal to or less than 20 full-time employees.
For example, you may be eligible if:
- you have 20 full time employees
- you have 10 full time employees and 10 part time employees
- you have 18 full time employees and 4 part-time employees who each only work 12 hours a week
If you take an income from the business, you should include yourself.
To add up part-time employees
Add up the total hours per week of all your part-time employees.
For example:
If you have 3 part time employees and 1 employee works 25 hours a week, and the other 2 work 20 hours a week, the total would be 65 hours
Divide that number by 35 hours a week (a full-time equivalent).
Using the example above, you would divide 65 hours, by 35 and get 1.8 employees.
To add up seasonal employees
Some industries hire more workers during certain seasons. Take the average number of employees across the year.
For example, you may be eligible if you have 28 employees for 12 weeks but usually only have 15 full-time employees.
Sole traders
As a sole trader, you may be eligible if you get more than half of your income from the business.
This means that you don't have other work that you make more money from.
For example, you may be eligible if:
you get all your income from the business (and have no employees)
you make $15,000 a year from part-time work, but your business makes $50,000 a year.
If you work from your home, you may be eligible for free clean-up of homes. Other structures can be eligible even if your home isn’t damaged.
If you aren't sure register. The team will help you to work out if you are eligible.

Community assets

Community assets are social and cultural spaces, like town halls and sports facilities.

Community assets might qualify for free demolition if they:

are structures damaged by the January 2026 bushfires
are in an eligible council area
are uninsured or underinsured
offer community benefits or host community events
are open to the public and do not have restricted membership.

Underinsured

You may be underinsured if you have insurance but do not have enough coverage for:

bushfire damage
demolition or waste removal
the cost to rebuild on the property.

Get a copy of your policy and speak to us about your circumstances.

If you can't remember your insurer or your insurance papers are lost, the Insurance Council of Australia can help. Complete their online form.

Register for clean-up

fill out the form below, or
call the Emergency Recovery Hotline on 1800 560 760.

Your first name(Required)

Your last name(Required)

Your email

I don't have a mobile phone

Your mobile phone number(Required)

Your street address(Required)

Your suburb(Required)

Your postcode(Required)

Do you own the property or are you renting?

Owner

Renter

Were any structures damaged or destroyed?

Destroyed

Damaged

Structures were not damaged or destroyed

Do you have insurance that would cover your repairs or rebuild?

Yes

No

I'm not sure

Would you like to speak to someone in a language other than English?

Yes

No

Collection notice(Required)

The Department of Justice and Community Safety (DJCS) is collecting your personal information to contact you about help for your recovery. DJCS works with other recovery providers to get you appropriate support.

We may share your information with:

Federal, state or local government organisations, to provide you with support services and programs
other recovery service providers, contracted to DJCS, so they can provide recovery services for you.

If you choose not to provide your personal details, we will not be able to contact you to provide support for your recovery.

If you have any questions about how your personal information will be handled or would like to gain access to your information, you can contact the DJCS Freedom of Information Unit on 03 8684 0063 or via a form on the DJCS Freedom of information website.

I have read and understand how Department of Justice and Community Safety stores information.

Important email

What happens after you register

A member of our team will call you. They will ask you questions to complete your registration.

Sometimes they will ask you for more information to check your eligibility. They might ask about your insurance or if your business meets the criteria.

If you are eligible, we will book a site inspection.

Site assessment

A qualified contractor will visit your property to assess the site and plan the work.

They will look at how to:

remove structures that are eligible under the program
create safe access to the site if needed
remove any hazards that could make the work unsafe.

Please tell the contractor if parts of your property are important to you. They will take this into their planning, but they may not be able to meet all requests because of safety or program scope.

After the assessment we will give you a Work Pack.

The Work Pack explains:

what work can be done
what you need to do.

Once you have the Work Pack you can then decide if you want to go ahead.

If you choose to continue, you need to agree to the scope of work and arrange a time to meet the contractor on site to talk through what will happen.

The contractor will then be able to demolish and remove eligible structures. This program does not include repair or rebuild.

Please note: we will never send people to your property without telling you. Anyone coming from us will wear Victorian Government or Forge Solutions branding. They will have photo ID. They will never ask you for money. If you are unsure, call the Emergency Recovery Hotline on 1800 560 760 to check.

If your home is insured

If your home is adequately insured, you are not eligible for free demolition. You should contact your insurance provider.

Before you accept any settlement offer from your insurer, get free advice:

Financial counsellors can give advice through the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007.
The Financial Rights Legal Centre offers legal help for insurance issues. They have factsheets and sample letters you can use.
Disaster Legal Help Victoria can answer your legal questions.

Before doing any repairs, check with your insurer. Make sure to take photos and list of everything that is damaged.

There are other clean-up services available, including grants for primary producers and free waste disposal. You can find this information on our Clean-up and waste page.

We also have more information about what to expect, and who can support you, when you are repairing or rebuilding your home after a bushfire.

What you might be feeling

Going home after a bushfire can be stressful. It’s normal to feel numb, helpless, lonely or angry.

Red Cross has information about what you and your family might be feeling when you return.

Stress from disaster can leave you physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted. Check in with friends, family and neighbours for support.

Other help that is available

You can get help with what you need right now. Relief information is available on the VicEmergency website or call 1800 226 226.

Find more recovery support by using the navigation below:

January 2026 Victorian bushfires

Relief and recovery support for people and communities affected by the Victorian fires that started on 7 January 2026.

Recovery services, wellbeing and support

Find out more about the support, advice and counselling available as you and your family recover from storms, bushfires or floods.