Bushfire Support & Resources

The Victorian Government’s Primary Producer Bushfire Recovery Grants are now open, and eligible horse breeding and agistment operations are specifically confirmed as included under the program.

A summary of the grants and application information is below.

Victorian Primary Producer Bushfire Recovery Grants

The Victorian Government has opened the Primary Producer Bushfire Recovery Grants, administered by Rural Finance, to support primary producers whose businesses have suffered direct damage as a result of the January 2026 bushfires.

Importantly for our sector, horse breeding and agistment operations are eligible primary production enterprises under this program, provided the eligibility criteria are met and direct impact can be demonstrated.

What funding is available

• Grants of up to $75,000 per eligible business are available to support clean up, reinstatement and recovery activities.

• An initial payment of up to $10,000 can be accessed relatively quickly once applicants demonstrate direct damage (for example, photographs, quotes or advisory reports).

• A further amount of up to $65,000 can then be claimed with evidence of eligible expenditure, up to the $75,000 cap.

What the grant can help cover

Eligible activities include costs associated with clean up and reinstatement of fire affected primary production enterprises. For breeding and agistment operations, this may include (subject to the guidelines):

• Fodder and feed costs

• Temporary agistment costs where horses have been displaced

• Fencing repairs and infrastructure reinstatement

• Property clean up and safety works

• Other eligible recovery expenses directly related to the bushfire impact
  

Applicants should refer to the program guidelines for full eligibility requirements and eligible expenditure.

How to apply Applications are open now via the Rural Finance website and will remain open until 4.00pm on 21 October 2026:

https://www.ruralfinance.com.au/grants/

The Guidelines are available here: Victorian Primary Producer Bushfire Recovery Grants 2026-Guidelines

FAQs are available here: Victorian Primary Producer Bushfire Recovery Grants 2026-FAQ

If you have any questions or would like to talk through your circumstances before applying, you can contact the Rural Finance hotline on 1800 260 425 (Monday to Friday, business hours). We have consistently heard that the Rural Finance team are genuinely helpful, patient and supportive, and very willing to talk applicants through eligibility and the application process, so we strongly encourage picking up the phone if you are unsure about anything.

Help with insurance

If you are dealing with insurance matters, the following free services may assist:

• Free advice before accepting an insurance settlement is available through a financial counsellor via the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007.

• The Financial Rights Legal Centre can assist with insurance issues and provides factsheets and sample letters.

• Disaster Legal Help Victoria can assist with bushfire related legal questions.

In addition, Melbourne Racing Club has kindly offered the services of their legal team to assist affected participants with reviewing insurance and legal matters and related documentation.

For those who would like to access this support, please contact Katie Gray at Melbourne Racing Club – Katie Gray kgray@mrc.net.au

Wellbeing and counselling support

Free counselling support remains available for anyone working in the breeding industry through Thoroughbred Breeders Australia’s Stud Staff Support Line:

Stud Staff Support Line

1300 822 935

The service provides access to free, independent and confidential face to face or phone counselling sessions at a time and location of your choosing. Non urgent sessions can be booked between 8.00am and 6.00pm Monday to Friday, with 24/7 support always available. To access the service for free, simply quote Thoroughbred Breeders Australia as your employer when you call. This information is not shared with TBA.

Additional practical resources

Racing Victoria has also pulled together a useful Equine Emergency Support page that brings together practical information, including:

• How to register bushfire damage with Agriculture Victoria

• SES and CFA preparedness resources

• A list of properties with capacity to offer agistment https://www.racingvictoria.com.au/equine-welfare/programs-initiatives/equine-emergency-support

We hope this information is helpful for those continuing to navigate clean up and recovery, and also as a reference for future planning. Please do not hesitate to reach out to TBV (tbv@racingvictoria.net.au) or Meagan McGrath at Thoroughbred Breeders Australia (Meagan@TBAus.com) if you would like further assistance or support.