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

Registrations for the free clean-up program close soon

There is still time to register to get help to demolish and remove debris from your structures damaged in the January 2026 bushfires.

Registrations close 5pm Monday 31 August 2026.

It might be your home, business or community asset that was damaged. The clean-up program provides clean-up and removal of eligible bushfire damaged structures at no cost to property owners.

Every property is different. If you're not sure if you're eligible, that's okay. Register, and we can discuss your situation.

You should register if you do not have insurance, or maybe not enough, or are still talking to your insurance provider.

Fill out the form or call us

fill out the form below, or
call the Emergency Recovery Hotline on 1800 560 760. Select option 3.

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

Eligibility - who should register

- 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
- Greater Shepparton 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
- Northern Grampians Shire Council
- Pyrenees Shire Council
- Strathbogie Shire Council
- Towong Shire Council
- Wellington Shire Council
- West Wimmera Shire Council
- Whittlesea City Council
- Wodonga City Council
- Yarra Ranges Shire Council
- Yarriambiack Shire Council

To be able to access the free clean-up program you need to meet eligibility.

Some people's cases are complex and it is not clear. You should still register. We will help you understand what support you can access.

Homes

Under the program you can get free demolition of your home and debris removal if it was damaged in the January 2026 bushfires.

To be eligible for free clean-up 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.

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 your home is not damaged.

Holiday homes or a house that you rent are not eligible. There is other clean-up help available, please see the Clean-up and waste page.

Businesses

You may be eligible for free clean-up of business structures if you operate a business from a property 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.

There is no income threshold to be eligible.

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 clean-up if they:

are in an eligible council area
are structures damaged by the January 2026 bushfires
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.

If your insurance provider won't cover your costs to clean up and do some level of rebuilding, you may be underinsured.

You should register for the clean-up program even if you are still talking to your insurance company about your claim. If your home was large or complex, it is easy to be underinsured.

Get a copy of your policy and we can discuss your individual circumstances, including your insurance coverage.

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

What happens after you register

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

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

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

Forge Solutions has been appointed as the head contractor. They will do the work on your property.

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

Anyone who visits as a part of the clean-up program will:

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

If you are unsure, call the Emergency Recovery Hotline on 1800 560 760 (select option 3) to check. You can also email connect@erv.vic.gov.au

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. Tell them about anything that you want to keep.

This will be considered where possible, taking into account safety and program requirements.

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.

If you have insurance

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

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

National Debt Helpline - for advice from financial counsellors. Call 1800 007 007
Anglicare - for financial counselling on cash settlements. Call 5440 1100 or email DisasterFC@anglicarevic.org.au
Rural Financial Counselling Service - advice for farmers, fishers and foresters. Call 1300 735 578 or email admin@wswrcs.com.au
Financial Rights Legal Centre - offers legal help for insurance issues. They have factsheets and sample letters you can use.
Disaster Legal Help Victoria - answers for your legal questions. Call 1800 113 432.

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.

Other help available

Emergency recovery support is available for people directly impacted by the January 2026 bushfires. You can get advice on what services are available and help to connect you with programs that can help you.

Call the Emergency Recovery Hotline on 1800 560 760 (select option 2).

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.