Bushfire crisis and legal requirements

Some parties may not be able to meet legal requirements in a VCAT case due to the bushfire crisis.

For example, you may not be able to:

  • follow directions in a VCAT order
  • submit or respond to an application by a legal deadline
  • do what a summons requires
  • give copies of your notice or documents to other parties. 

Or you might not have received a notice about a hearing due to postal delays.

Let us know about your situation as soon as you can, even if a deadline has passed, and give as much detail as possible.

We may be able to take your circumstances into account if we have the legal power to do so. We’ll assess each case individually.

Sometimes we may not have the legal power to assist, because the law doesn’t allow it. If this happens, you may want to seek legal help. VCAT is unable give legal advice.

Victorians affected by bushfires can get free information about legal issues from Disaster Legal Help Victoria

If you need to discuss your case, contact us.