By Stacey Taig
Ambassador, West Vic Business
The current fires raging across north-west Victoria are setting a new and unprecedented scene of devastation.
These communities are facing a new normal beyond what is presently occurring.
HELPING HANDS: More firefighters and incident management team personnel arrived last week, travelling from the Australian Capital Territory, Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia to assist in responding to the region’s bushfires. The crews will work out of Horsham, where the Grampians and Little Desert bushfires are being managed. Several NSW firefighters – specialists in working in rough and inaccessible terrain – have also arrived.
Traders struggle amid bushfires
12 February 2025
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Each day brings uncertainty, and is accompanied by an immense sense of loss for what was, and arguably will be again, the most captivating and awe inspiring natural Australian bush landscape in the state.
What does this mean for the businesses that make up an integral part of the fabric of these rural communities?
Disruption, business closure, staff accessibility, loss of stock, limited access to supply chains and freight, and a definite and concentrated shift in consumer and customer behaviour. Businesses across sectors have been heavily impacted.
Businesses outside of those areas in immediate danger or the impact zone are also feeling the effects, with a loss of business through significantly low to nil foot traffic decimating the bottom line.
For many small businesses post COVID, financial stability is a far off dream, many living week to week.
Affordability of insurance means that many will find themselves without interruption cover, and with a number of businesses either directly or indirectly reliant upon the visitor economy, some will suffer losses of over half of their annual turnover, or more.
Loss of stock, loss of customers, loss of staff, and for some, loss of hope.
For those organisations such as ours, fielding enquiries from businesses across all sectors about support packages, we sit waiting, without an answer.
This, too, is unprecedented. Radio silence.
So like many others, we put the call out. Help. Help our region. Help our businesses. Help our already challenged and suffering business communities and the families and individuals who call them home.
Still we wait. We wait for some indication that someone is listening.
Time is ticking, and business moves quickly. It folds even quicker.
This is not a bureaucracy, this is real life.
Let’s hope that both the State Government, Business Victoria and their federal counterparts are busily negotiating resources behind the scenes to accommodate support.
Let’s hope it comes soon.
The entire February 12, 2025 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!
