During an adjournment debate in parliament last week, Ms Cleeland urged the new minister to listen directly to residents impacted by the natural disasters.
“In nearly four years since I was elected to this role, our region has endured floods, drought and bushfires, with the Labor Government failing to respond to calls for help since 2022,” Ms Cleeland said.
“The primary role of a government is to help Victorians in need.
“Rather than talking about disaster recovery from Melbourne, come to regional Victoria and see the reality of recovery on the ground.”
With parts of the region having been under flood watch in the past month, Ms Cleeland is also calling for the state government to provide a comprehensive implementation report on the 2022 Victorian Flood Inquiry, which resulted in 73 recommendations.
“Only 16 recommendations were supported in full. The rest were either supported in principle, supported in part, or remained under review,” Ms Cleeland said.
“Regional Victorians want to know whether the lessons of one of Victoria’s most significant flood disasters have actually been acted upon.”
The local MP said the experience of Seymour business owners Adam and Alex Griffiths, whose business Griff-Fit was flooded in 2022, demonstrated the ongoing personal and financial consequences of disasters.
Water entered the Griff-Fit site in Seymour at about 5pm on the day of the flood, while the region was not officially declared under flood until about 9pm.
That distinction became critical to their insurance dispute with Hollard Insurance, with their policy covering stormwater but excluding floodwater.
“Adam told me he still has PTSD from the experience and that every time he hears about floods, he worries about his livelihood,” Ms Cleeland said.
“No business owner should be left feeling that they are on their own after a disaster.”
With 80 recommendations tabled at the 2026 Victorian Bushfires Inquiry, Ms Cleeland is calling on the minister to not “allow those recommendations to sit on a shelf”.
She said it was important for the minister to see that recovery work was still ongoing.
“For many in my electorate, (the summer bushfire) is not their first disaster – some have been through floods and fires within a few years, and they shouldn’t have to keep fighting government systems while rebuilding their lives,” Ms Cleeland said.
“I’ve invited the minister to sit down with these communities, see the recovery work still unfinished and understand that regional Victoria is asking for action, not promises. I sincerely hope he accepts.”
The Victorian Government has been contacted for comment.
