Bushfire-ravaged communities in Victoria are condemning the State’s Premier, Jacinta Allan, for what they describe as gross negligence and ineptitude, which they allege have led to the avoidable loss of many lives, as well as extensive damage to livestock and property. Among the failures attributed to the government, a prominent one is its alleged failure to upgrade and expand the State’s fire truck fleet, despite clear and repeated warnings that the existing fleet was inadequate to manage foreseeable bushfires and the likely devastation that would follow. This is despite the government telling Victorians it had already purchased the fire trucks. Many Victorians consider the government’s actions tantamount to criminal fraud.

Since the outbreak of the Victorian bushfires in early January this year, the Premier has been repeatedly confronted by frustrated and angry residents determined to express their distress and dismay at what they regard as the government’s reckless abandonment of its foremost duty: safeguarding its citizens. This has led to extraordinary scenes in which Victoria Police have escorted the Premier away from heated encounters with the public and removed her from buildings via service exits, loading docks, and ambulance bays.

After weeks of failing to address the criticisms directly, reportedly disappointed that the “weak ass” bushfires did not consume more of her critics and realising that Victorians confronting her on the issue have begun splitting into groups to cover all the backdoor exits of venues where she appears, Allan has “strenuously rejected” any implication of fraud against her government and labelled her critics “stalkers,” urging them to cease their “petulant, self-centred whining” and to “get a life.”

“Our representations were factually accurate when my government announced the purchase of the additional fire trucks. However, after grasping the State’s dire financial health and the likelihood of an imminent downgrade of our credit rating, we postponed their delivery until after the bushfire season. This way, their commercial value would not depreciate as much as if they were deployed to counteract bushfires, thereby ensuring that we can borrow more money using them as collateral the next time the Suburban Rail Loop’s budget increases a measly eight-fold.”

“Only a small proportion of the State ever bears the brunt of bushfires—sparsely populated areas with people lacking the wherewithal to be an effective nuisance like city folk. Thus, the small-minded, survivalist obsession of a few seeks to gaslight the entire State for wanting to preserve its expensive things nicely,” Allan said in justification of her actions at a press conference in Melbourne on Tuesday, 3 February 2026.