Labor’s Minister for Emergency Services, Jaclyn Symes, has in effect this week admitted that Gippsland is not prepared for the upcoming season and the State Government has left us vulnerable.

Despite the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission (VBRC) recommending an annual five per cent burn target, the Minister conceded in Parliament this week the entire Gippsland region had only 100,000ha fuel reduction treated in the past three years.

Gippsland East Nationals MP, Tim Bull, who put on the record months ago State Government policy had again left us vulnerable, said the VBRC stated:

The Commission proposes that the State make a commitment to fund a long-term program of prescribed burning, with an annual rolling target of a minimum of five per cent of public land each year, and that the State be held accountable for meeting this target. DSE (now DEECA) should modify its Code of Practice for Fire management on Public Land so that it is clear that protecting human life is given highest priority, and should report annually on prescribed-burning outcomes.

“Given Gippsland has 1.6 million hectares of public land, this means we should be burning 80,000ha per year, but this government has only burned 100,000ha in three years.

“This is what has left us vulnerable, you can only ever see one outcome from this, when hot weather and lightning storms arrive.

“There are three elements of the fire triangle – fuel, oxygen and ignition – and we can only control one of those, fuel. Hence, when you allow the fuel loads to get out of control, it can only end one way, there are no other options,” he said.

“The warming climate will become more of an issue in the years to come, so it could be argued you need an even higher level of protection, but we are doing less.

“Why would you have a Bushfires Royal Commission and then ignore their recommendations around safety?

“In addition to lack of burning, the government has overseen a reduction of 6,500 operational CFA volunteers since 2015 and is removing the timber industry, our first defence in times of fire,” Mr Bull said.

Thursday, 5 October 2023

Caption: State Nationals Member for Gippsland East, Tim Bull, says the five per cent burn target recommended by the Bushfires Royal Commission is not being met, leaving Gippsland residents vulnerable to wildfire threat.