❓ Ms. Quirk questions the Minister for Environment regarding prescribed burn targets, funding adequacy, and past failures. The Minister acknowledges past shortcomings but defends the government's commitment and recent progress.
AnsweredQoN 447Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
BUSHFIRES — PRESCRIBED BURNS —
ROYALTIES FOR REGIONS
447. Ms M.M. QUIRK to the Minister for
Environment:
I refer to statements made at a public
meeting in Harvey last Thursday by Euan Ferguson that he had been advised by
the Department of Environment Regulation that the $20 million over four years
provided by royalties for regions for mitigation efforts would not only be
sufficient to meet targets but would also make inroads into the backlog.
(1) What is the basis for that
conclusion?
(2) Did not the
government meet its prescribed burns target only once in seven years up to 2014–15,
totalling only 60 per cent of the targeted hectares?
(3) What
responsibility does the minister take for these consistent failures to achieve
burn-off targets, which have been cited in multiple inquiry reports?
ROYALTIES FOR REGIONS
447. Ms M.M. QUIRK to the Minister for
Environment:
I refer to statements made at a public
meeting in Harvey last Thursday by Euan Ferguson that he had been advised by
the Department of Environment Regulation that the $20 million over four years
provided by royalties for regions for mitigation efforts would not only be
sufficient to meet targets but would also make inroads into the backlog.
(1) What is the basis for that
conclusion?
(2) Did not the
government meet its prescribed burns target only once in seven years up to 2014–15,
totalling only 60 per cent of the targeted hectares?
(3) What
responsibility does the minister take for these consistent failures to achieve
burn-off targets, which have been cited in multiple inquiry reports?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3) The
Liberal–National government stands firm behind its prescribed burning
targets. As it currently stands, the target that we seek to achieve is some 200
000 hectares per year which, over a six-year time line, would see some 45 per
cent of state-managed lands—being national parks and state forests,
predominantly throughout south west areas—carrying a fuel load of seven
years or less. That is where that target is derived. It is interesting to note
that that target does not actually report on wildfire, and that is, if you
like, to ensure that where we report our prescribed burning targets, they are
as true to what we have achieved in our prescribed burning as possible. Our
prescribed burning target so far—we are still out burning today,
although I suspect the weather may have affected today's burns—is
approaching some 160 000 hectares for the current financial year. The Liberal–National
government recognises that we have fallen behind in our prescribed burning
targets in recent years. That is for a range of reasons, and that is why we
have injected $20 million over the next four years to address that backlog.
This year has already seen the most significant achievement during my time as
minister, but there is never going to be a circumstance in which I can
guarantee that we will achieve the full target in any given year because the
south west is becoming increasingly populated and weather conditions and a range
of other parameters come into play, but we are going to do our utmost to
achieve that target.
As to Mr Ferguson's comments
in Harvey, I was not there, member for Girrawheen. I have considered the report
and I think it is a very considered report, and we will be formulating our
response —
Ms
R. Saffioti : You weren't there? You haven't read it?
The
SPEAKER : Member for West Swan, do not shout out! Carry on, through the
Chair.
Mr
A.P. JACOB : Member for West Swan, I am answering the member for Girrawheen's
question. That was a particularly silly interjection. I was not in Harvey on
Thursday because I was here. The member for Girrawheen's question
related to a comment that Mr Ferguson made in Harvey on Thursday, so I would
not be able to answer that part of the question.
Liberal–National government stands firm behind its prescribed burning
targets. As it currently stands, the target that we seek to achieve is some 200
000 hectares per year which, over a six-year time line, would see some 45 per
cent of state-managed lands—being national parks and state forests,
predominantly throughout south west areas—carrying a fuel load of seven
years or less. That is where that target is derived. It is interesting to note
that that target does not actually report on wildfire, and that is, if you
like, to ensure that where we report our prescribed burning targets, they are
as true to what we have achieved in our prescribed burning as possible. Our
prescribed burning target so far—we are still out burning today,
although I suspect the weather may have affected today's burns—is
approaching some 160 000 hectares for the current financial year. The Liberal–National
government recognises that we have fallen behind in our prescribed burning
targets in recent years. That is for a range of reasons, and that is why we
have injected $20 million over the next four years to address that backlog.
This year has already seen the most significant achievement during my time as
minister, but there is never going to be a circumstance in which I can
guarantee that we will achieve the full target in any given year because the
south west is becoming increasingly populated and weather conditions and a range
of other parameters come into play, but we are going to do our utmost to
achieve that target.
As to Mr Ferguson's comments
in Harvey, I was not there, member for Girrawheen. I have considered the report
and I think it is a very considered report, and we will be formulating our
response —
Ms
R. Saffioti : You weren't there? You haven't read it?
The
SPEAKER : Member for West Swan, do not shout out! Carry on, through the
Chair.
Mr
A.P. JACOB : Member for West Swan, I am answering the member for Girrawheen's
question. That was a particularly silly interjection. I was not in Harvey on
Thursday because I was here. The member for Girrawheen's question
related to a comment that Mr Ferguson made in Harvey on Thursday, so I would
not be able to answer that part of the question.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.