Tasmania’s peak farming organisation today sought an urgent reappraisal of the state’s bushfire prevention regime in the light of what it regards as unreasonable community resistance to hazard reduction burns and a dramatic loss of firefighting resources within the state.

In its submission to the Tasmanian Bushfires Inquiry, released today, the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association warns that fire authorities have to overcome community objections to fuel reduction burns to allow private and public landowners to resume traditional practices of reducing the risk of bushfires.

“Without it, there is no doubt we will face similar disasters to those in January,” TFGA chief executive Jan Davis said.

The TFGA submission was drawn from responses from its statewide membership, many of whom are experienced firefighters as well as land managers. The submission identifies a combination of factors that are combining to make Tasmania’s bushfire environment more challenging and more dangerous than ever. These include:

• climate change
• serious deficiencies in hazard reduction programs
• inexperienced newcomers to the land in the way of sea changers and tree changers who do not understand the necessity to constantly reduce potential fuel for fires
• an ensuing reluctance by urban-centric fire authorities to dictate fuel reduction in the bush
• community hostility to burns outside the fire season
• dwindling human and machinery resources with the decline of the forest industry, traditionally a major source of firefighters and equipment
• declining state government financial resources.

The TFGA has recommended the establishment of a Tasmanian Bushfire Policy Council, reporting directly to the Premier, to address this combination of issues that threatens long-term and frequent catastrophic events to the Tasmanian landscape, property and regional populations.

“This is now one of the most serious issues facing not just farmers, but all Tasmanians. We have to address it and address it straight away,” Ms Davis said.

The TFGA submission can be downloaded here:
http://www.tfga.com.au/index.php/download_file/view/705/219/TFGA_Submission_to_the_Tasmanian_Bushfires_Inquiry_0613.pdf?file=TFGA_Submission_to_the_Tasmanian_Bushfires_Inquiry_0613.pdf
TFGA chief executive Jan Davis