BUSHFIRE HOLOCAUST – WHERE TO FROM HERE

The bushfires ravaging Australia at the moment have become part of an annual scorch and burn event. For years, Australia has had a bushfire season and in many cases huge damage and major loss of life have been a part of the outcome.

This particular bushfire season has been called by some as “a once in 100 years event“. I doubt that holds true any longer. These disasters are starting earlier, finishing later and creating massive misery outcomes like never before.

In the Northern Territory, cabinet papers released under the 30 year embargo rule demonstrate that the Perron Government in 1989 urged upon its federal counterpart the need for a nationwide policy to be developed in order to counter natural disasters. This recommendation was of course never actioned – not then and not up until this day.

I believe that there needs to be a three-pronged action in response to this fire season that needs to begin immediately.

• Scott Morrison our Prime Minister and is in the cabinet need to meet urgently with fire chiefs have been seeking a meeting for months And to this point in time have been rejected.

•I believe our prime minister should heed the urging of opposition politicians and a growing number of others to call an urgent Council Of Australian Government (premiers and Chief Ministers) to discuss one item only and that is our present fire situation. Part of that meeting might be to hear from those connected with fighting and managing these fires.

• The third necessary policy development platform should be to put in place a program for future fire control management that takes account of caretaking needs in densely bush areas and our national parks. That policy should include all areas that are accessible.

Without the shadow of a doubt one of the issues adding to this season of fire disaster has been that of huge fuel loads in forested areas. In many places there is an accumulation that is decades old. Management policies and procedures have to be put in place to clear these fuel loads in some systemic manner at regular intervals. As it happens, our “friends” the trees and vast swaths of their naturalness have turned into major enemies.

something needs to happen and soon. Our country cannot carry on like this because desperation that is reactive just doesn’t do the job. Our country needs to be proactive in putting into place a policy that is nationwide and confronting of bushfire insidiousness.