On Thursday, the state Legislative Council ordered parliament's upper house to sit in the North East in October or November.

Member for Benambra Bill Tilley raised the need for regional sitting in parliament on Wednesday and said it shouldn't have taken a disaster to get the government out of the city.

"It's a shame it's taken catastrophic fires to be the catalyst to regional sittings because country people want to see their state law makers, they want them to understand the challenges we face, that they can relate to our issues," he said.

Parliamentary officials will consult with Towong, Alpine, Indigo, Wangaratta and Wodonga councils to choose an appropriate date and location.

Parliament previously visited the North East in 2002, when a sitting was held in Benalla.

The Victorian opposition wrote to Premier Daniel Andrews and others in mid-January, calling for at least one sitting week to be held in East Gippsland or the North East.

But the Victorian premier initially dismissed the idea saying taxpayer money could be better spent.

In a letter responding to the opposition's proposal, Legislative Council president Shaun Leane elaborated on the government's concerns.

"I recognise the good intention of your suggestion; however, I have concerns that a regional sitting will put an unnecessary impost on regional areas that are prioritising bushfire recovery," he wrote last week.

Mr Leane said a regional sitting is usually planned 12 months in advance and involves a great deal of logistical support from the councils.

That includes finding a replica chamber with broadcast capacity and identifying accommodation for MPs and parliamentary staff.

Opposition leader in the Legislative Council David Davis said the spending associated with the parliamentary sitting will include members and staff overnight stays, food and accommodation and the hire of relevant facilities, which would directly assist the impacted regions' visitor economy.

On Wednesday, member for Benambra Bill Tilley called for regional sittings of parliament, starting in the North East and Gippsland and then becoming a regular part of parliamentary sittings.

"It's far too convenient to say it's too hard, speaker, [to say] we don't have the time or the money, those sort of excuses," he said.

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Earlier this week opposition Leader Michael O'Brien said the premier was keeping parliament "chained to the CBD".

"Now more than ever, these towns need us to stay in their hotels, eat in their cafes, have a beer in their pubs and take the time to listen to them and help rebuild," he said.

East Gippsland Shire Council mayor John White says hosting a sitting week in his area is completely within reach.

The sitting would be held in a town which has not been hit by flames, but where businesses have suffered greatly from lost patronage, he said.

"You certainly wouldn't go to Buchan, or you wouldn't go to Mallacoota, but you could go to Lakes (Entrance), or Paynesville, or Metung or Bairnsdale," he told AAP.

"They're the communities that have been impacted not by blackened surroundings, but just by lack of people."

Mr White said he knew of two buildings which could potentially act as chambers and he is confident a council being supported by bushfire grants could provide logistical help.

Peter Roper is mayor of the northeastern Alpine Shire Council, another area affected by fires.

He said the sentiment behind a regional sitting was great, but he understood the government's response.

"Reality says that the ability to actually pick up parliament and move it to the country and have it function as it would normally would take a lot of planning, a lot of expense and might be a little bit shambolic," he told AAP.

- with Australian Associated Press