The Victorian Government has been urged to implement the 2009 Bushfires Royal Commission recommendation for planned burns of 5% of public land to help prevent devastating bushfires. Source: Timberbiz
The Victorian Liberal Nationals also want the government to improve management of state forests and Crown land, including fuel reduction and roadside vegetation management, so as to significantly reduce bushfire risk and the risk to communities caused by roads being cut due to improper tree placement.
“Victorians don’t want history repeated,” the Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien said.
“The Royal Commission heard from experts which led to the 5 per cent planned burns recommendation. It is time for this recommendation to be honoured, not rejected.’’
Having considered expert evidence following the horrific 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission made recommendation that the Victorian State Government should conduct fuel reduction burns on 5 per cent of public land per year to reduce bushfire risk. This equates to around 390,000 hectares per year.
However, the Andrews Government abandoned the VBRC recommendation on planned burning and as a consequence, far less planned burning has taken place than if the target had remained in place and been met.
In light of the recent bushfires, the Victorian Liberal Nationals want the VBRC’s hectare-based target, in addition to a revised residual risk reduction target, to again form the basis of Victoria’s planned burning objectives.
The Opposition says that the Premier, Daniel Andrews, has answered criticism of his cuts to planned burns by referring to the conduct of “strategic burns”.
But the Opposition says that “this is no answer”.
“There is nothing that prevents a 5 per cent target being focussed on the areas of greatest strategic importance – to the contrary, they should go hand in hand,’’ the Opposition says.
It wants the “Return of the Firestick” – an indigenous burning project – to be supported to train fire practitioners that can be deployed to collaborate, educate and practice cultural burning. This should occur in partnership with traditional owner groups, Forest Fire Management Victoria, the Country Fire Authority and other landholders.
“Daniel Andrews must act immediately to implement fuel reduction targets to help protect the Victorian community from the devastation of bushfire,’’ Nationals leader Peter Walsh said.
“We must learn lessons from the past, we must learn from the devastation of fires like Black Saturday and those of this summer.”
