Government funding for a state volunteer firefighters agency has been boosted for the first time in five years, a delayed report shows.
Victoria's Labor government has faced scrutiny over bushfire preparedness after rampant blazes tore through communities in catastrophic conditions in early January.
Volunteer firefighters accused the Allan government of cutting funding to the Country Fire Authority, citing annual report figures showing government grants fell from $351.6 million in 2020/21 to $339.5 million in 2023/24.
The latest annual report, tabled by state parliament on Tuesday, showed government funding for the CFA rose to $361.3 million in 2024/25 despite Treasurer Jaclyn Symes previously estimating it would come in at $337.6 million.
The body nonetheless recorded a $51.8 million deficit and total volunteer numbers slipped from 51,949 to 51,796.
"We recognise that volunteer recruitment and retention remain a challenge, and we have an ageing volunteer profile," CFA chief officer Jason Heffernan wrote.
The report said 147 emergency response vehicles were delivered in the past 12 months and eight stations were completed or under construction, pushing the value of the CFA's assets $106 million higher.
In all, volunteers completed 202 planned burns and treated an above-target 4774 hectares.
Emergency Services Minister Vicki Ward, who said she received the report on December 18 after "delays in the process" to finalise it, accused the coalition of spreading "misinformation and conspiracy theories".
"The leader of the opposition should apologise for her misinformation campaign," she said.
"She should also withdraw from the Barnaby Joyce misinformation convention, which will claim climate change has nothing to do with fires and floods that are increasing in frequency and intensity."
But Nationals leader Danny O'Brien said the latest figures still amounted to a $55 million cut to the CFA in "real terms".
"Premier (Jacinta) Allan's claim that her government has only ever increased funding to the CFA is wrong," the shadow emergency services spokesman said.
"Under Labor, the number of CFA volunteers continues to decline because they are not being appropriately supported by this tired, out of touch government."
Bushfires have burned more than 413,000 hectares across the state this summer and damaged or destroyed more than 1000 structures.
Blazes in the Upper Murray near the NSW-Victoria border and close to Dargo in Victoria's east continued to burn at watch-and-act level on Tuesday.
Twenty-two firefighters from New Zealand arrived on Monday to support local and interstate crews' efforts near Tallangatta, with another 74 personnel from Canada scheduled to touch down on January 27.
