Page 3660 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 26 August 2008
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this recommendation, and the minister of the day simply needs to ensure it adheres to its budget, which is obviously a significant problem. That issue concerned the committee, and it made recommendations with regard to that. However, that does not take away from the fact that every expert has indicated the best format is a stand-alone ESA. I do not think the committee went far enough in relation to that particular item, and I would recommend that a stand-alone ESA be re-established.
In July 2008, Dr Foskey and I went to view the impact the 2003 fires had in the rural areas of the ACT adjoining New South Wales. There are some recommendations in the report in relation to cross-border work between the ACT and New South Wales, and I strongly commend those to the Assembly. Mr Wayne West, who had his property burnt out in the Brindabellas on the New South Wales side, organised the trip, along with a colleague of his who had been involved in fighting fires for over 40 years in that area. On the way up, I was disturbed to see fire trails overgrown. In many instances, they were actually blocked off by very large boulders. I know the committee has made a recommendation about that, but I think those trails should be opened all year round, and work should be done on them to ensure that there is ready access should there be a fire. I also recommend that new fire trails be established wherever appropriate.
It was very concerning to see regrowth after the 2003 fires, and it is very concerning to see that that has made access very difficult, with various forms of bushes and trees all very close together sprouting up through most of the mountain areas of the ACT. Urgent attention needs to be given to clearing some of that regrowth to enable access. The committee walked out to see a spot where the McIntyre’s Hut fire started. It took a long time for us to walk through as it was very thick countryside. Conversely, we went to another area where there had been a controlled burn in about 1999, and that was fairly pristine. The fire had gone through there in 2003, but because of the effectiveness of that controlled burn, you could walk through that area. It was the typical scrub we were used to seeing in the Brindabella’s prior to the 2003 bushfires.
It is interesting to contrast those areas devastated by the 2003 fires that had not been subject to any controlled burning and those that had been. Those areas which had been the subject of controlled burning were typical Australian bushland areas, and they are testament to what effective controlled measures and reduction in fuel loads actually can do to help counter the effect of the horrendous fires we had in 2003. The main problem, which is not emphasised enough in this report, is the need for regular reduction of fuel loads and urgent attention to the problem which I have referred to in relation to regrowth in what has been now described as the heath country.
The regrowth after the 2003 fires in that area is ugly and it is problematic in terms of getting through it. It caused great concern to even experienced firefighters like Mr Jeffrey, and it is something that the government just cannot dillydally about. It has to be addressed, otherwise we will face a serious problem. The view of experienced firefighters who appeared before the Assembly committee is that fires similar to those of 2003 will probably happen again, so we need urgent and regular reduction of fuel loads, and urgent attention needs to be given to that heath country.
I believe we need regular controlled burns, mosaic burns and any other measures to reduce fuel loads right across the ACT and into the surrounding New South Wales
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