$10 million for bushfire early warning

07/08/10

The devastation faced by the Victorian communities affected by the 2009 bushfires cannot be forgotten. The Black Saturday and Gippsland fires are Australia’s worst natural disaster.

The recent release of the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission findings highlights the gaps that need to be fixed as quickly as possible to avoid a repeat of this devastating disaster.

As its contribution, a Coalition Federal Government would allocate $10 million towards an early fire detection system. This technology has been used in Europe and the US and has proven to be very effective. Early detection gives communities more time to get out of an area should a fire start.

The selection of the system will be undertaken in consultation with the Victorian State Government, the Country Fire Authority (CFA) and communities.

The Coalition will also task the Attorney General’s Department, in close consultation with Emergency Management Australia, with the dissemination of statistical and mapping data to relevant local and state organisations.

Statistical and mapping data is undertaken by various federal agencies. Its dissemination will assist all levels of government with bushfire preparedness.

The loss faced during natural disasters such as the Black Saturday fires can never be forgotten. However, we can ensure that we do what we can to learn from this tragedy.