Immediate halt to planned burns - review fire management policies.
- van: Jill Redwood
- ontvanger: Premier Dan Andrews, Ministers Lisa Neville and Jane Garrett
Planned burns can be extremely dangerous and difficult to control. Despite trained personnel, investigations and recommendations for improved fire management over the years, fire, weather and poor judgment still causes major disasters.
The IGEM report released in May acknowledged the ineffectiveness of large scale burns to protect communities. It recommended alternative risk reduction measures believed to be far more effective.
Given the horrendous impacts of the escaped burns of 3rd and 6th of October, in a relatively green landscape, we ask Premier Andrews, Ministers Neville and Garrett to:
• Immediately halt all further planned burns while a review of their safety and effectiveness is carried out
• adopt recommendations of the IGEM report to better protect communities, assets and the environment
• quickly put in place recommended risk-based management
• assess the cost/benefits of planned burns
• implement and resource enhanced detection and rapid supression measures
• assist communities to better prepare their private land in case of fire
• carry out the Bushfire Royal Commission recommendations 57 and 58: provide information on expenditure, impacts on biodiversity and upgrade long term data collection program.
Update #29 jaar geleden
Minister Lisa Neville responded to our petition today - while the (so-called) independent review into the escaped Lancefield fire is underway the govt will not adopt more effective methods of keeping the public safe from bushfires. They'll keep burning public lands regardless. The investigator looking at the Lancefield burn was also investigated for an escaped burn that destroyed 34 homes in WA in 2011, so we have little faith that the outcome.
Update #19 jaar geleden
We are still waiting for a reply from the Ministers but they know it's an issue! The Lancefield escaped burn that destroyed 4 homes and 4000+ ha now has an 'independent expert' to run an enquiry. He was himself investigated after he oversaw an escaped burn that took out 34 homes in WA-2011 ! Highly inappropriate person! But maybe good at white-washing? Please keep this petition circulating. The govt can't keep brushing eco-cidal and unaccountable practices under the carpet.
