Jacinta Allan found herself confronted by an irate resident who accused the Victorian Premier of neglecting communities amidst the ongoing bushfire crisis.
As Allan was en route to a scheduled press briefing on Tuesday, she was unexpectedly approached by the agitated woman.
“Shame on you, shame on you for creating this mess and for failing to support us,” the woman exclaimed passionately.
Victoria is grappling with devastating bushfires, which have resulted in the destruction or damage of nearly 500 properties and imposed stringent restrictions on local residents.
In an interview with Sky News, the protester harshly criticized the Premier’s management of the disaster, alleging that the government had deceived the public regarding reductions in firefighting resources.
“The government’s policies are the root cause of this predicament,” she asserted.
She claimed frontline crews had been left without enough resources.
Jacinta Allan (centre) was heckled by a woman in a hat while arriving to a press conference
‘To see even this morning the statement issued denying that funding had been cut to our services when we had firefighters on our doorstep crying, apologising for not being able to get trucks to us sooner, before having to leave fires, pick the ones they could help, they couldn’t fight them all,’ she said.
The woman also accused Allan of refusing to take responsibility.
‘To see her go on TV and deny that she has any culpability and then the way they’re managing the aftermath of this, people can’t leave their homes to get supplies, all in the name of keeping people safe, which is of course the most important thing,’ she said.
The fires have turned deadly, after authorities on Tuesday confirming the death of cattle farmer Max Hobson, who was killed in the Longwood fire near Seymour.
His body was found just 100 metres from his vehicle.
In December, the Victorian Opposition accused the Allan Government of cutting funding from the Country Fire Authority (CFA), a volunteer fire service that serves regional communities.
They claim the budget showed a $7million shortfall in the CFA budget over the financial year.
Speaking on radio 3AW on Tuesday morning, Allan dismissed claims of funding cuts, reaffirming the government has consistently increased investment in Victoria’s emergency services.
The heckler (pictured) accused Allan of not providing enough resources to firefighters
‘We allocated an additional $80 million for earlier deployment of aircraft, extra equipment and staff, community awareness campaigns and better access to bulk water at fire grounds,’ she said.
‘Now is not the time for politics, and I want to be clear: claims of a reduction in funding are wrong.’
The CFA released a statement rejecting suggestions that funding had been cut or that volunteers and brigades were not prepared for the current fire season.
‘The CFA budget has increased every year since Fire Services Reform in 2020, including a further $20.3 million this financial year,’ CFA chief executive Greg Leach said.
Mr Leach defended the government, confirming additional money had been provided on request.
‘On advice from the Chief Officer, the Board sought extra government funding to boost readiness and community preparedness ahead of this challenging fire season,’ he said.
‘This request resulted in an extra $11.6 million for Strategic Bulk Water Supply and a statewide engagement and awareness campaign.’
