❓ Opposition questions the government's failure to meet controlled burn targets and seeks information on current progress and strategies. The Minister responds by highlighting weather challenges, investments in fire management, and current progress towards targets, emphasizing shared responsibility.
AnsweredQoN 696Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
BUSHFIRE
SEASON — CONTROLLED BURN TARGETS
696. Mr M. McGOWAN to the Minister for
Environment:
I refer to the failure to meet the
2012–13 controlled burns targets, when only 12 per cent of the 200 000-hectare
target was met, and the minister's refusal last week to answer about
the status of the 2013–14 target. With the bushfire season almost upon
us, I ask —
(1) How much of the 2013–14
fire season target has been met to date?
(2) What
additional strategies have been put in place to adapt to the changing
environmental conditions to allow more controlled burns each year?
SEASON — CONTROLLED BURN TARGETS
696. Mr M. McGOWAN to the Minister for
Environment:
I refer to the failure to meet the
2012–13 controlled burns targets, when only 12 per cent of the 200 000-hectare
target was met, and the minister's refusal last week to answer about
the status of the 2013–14 target. With the bushfire season almost upon
us, I ask —
(1) How much of the 2013–14
fire season target has been met to date?
(2) What
additional strategies have been put in place to adapt to the changing
environmental conditions to allow more controlled burns each year?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) As
was noted in The West Australian today, weather is a significant challenge in undertaking prescribed burning in
the south west of this state. Indeed, as members will have noticed, we have had
a particularly wet spring, which has meant that we have had a much later start
to our prescribed burning season than we would typically like. To have a good
prescribed burning season, we usually need a good wet winter and then a dry,
yet cool, spring, which carries on through and opens up a very large window of
opportunity. But we are in our window of opportunity for burning right now, and
I would like to take this opportunity to assure the house that the Liberal–National
government firmly stands behind our prescribed burning targets. I assure the
house that we will take every opportunity that we can in the coming season to
meet those targets. However, if the weather should go against us and if we get
too many more of these 35-degree days, that window of opportunity in the spring
burning season may indeed close a little bit quicker than we would like. Prescribed
burning is a very careful science. We have all seen when we have fallen short
of our targets, and we have all seen when things can go wrong in that space as
well. It is never a risk-free activity to undertake.
In answering the question, in response
to the Keelty report the Liberal–National government has invested $32.9
million in upgrading a suite of measures across our south west in response to
fire. We now have 77 dedicated fire managers within the Department of Parks and
Wildlife, 280 conservation employees, and 450 others, to a total of 800 or so
staff. I would also like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the level of
skill within the department of those staff who are applying measures to
prescribed burning. Indeed, I informed the house only last week that I had the
opportunity to present some fire medals to some of our staff in just one
region. Amongst that handful of staff there was around 2 000 years of
prescribed burning and firefighting experience. Three of those staff had had 45
years of concurrent firefighting experience in the south west.
Mr R.H. Cook : What else happened on the
way to school today?
Mr A.P. JACOB : I
could have written it for the member. I am only halfway through it.
In addressing this current prescribed burning season, I am
happy to report to the house that although we have had a wet spring and a later
start to it, we are already sitting at around 30 000 hectares in our target for
the coming year. We have in excess of 140 or so prescribed burns, I think, for
the spring burn. Members should not forget that the autumn burn will follow
that up next year, and we are about 44 burns into that, which is around 30 000
hectares in just the south west. I think it is also important to clarify for
the house that there is not just the south west; there is also the rest of the
state. In fact, for this current prescribed burning year, we are already in
excess of 200 000 hectares statewide. It is also an opportunity to remind the
house again that prescribed burning is a very important tool that we exercise
in managing our bushfire loads—something that this government strongly
supports—but it is also a shared responsibility. I would like to again
take the opportunity to remind people in Western Australia that local
governments and private landowners also share a responsibility to manage their
fire loads.
was noted in The West Australian today, weather is a significant challenge in undertaking prescribed burning in
the south west of this state. Indeed, as members will have noticed, we have had
a particularly wet spring, which has meant that we have had a much later start
to our prescribed burning season than we would typically like. To have a good
prescribed burning season, we usually need a good wet winter and then a dry,
yet cool, spring, which carries on through and opens up a very large window of
opportunity. But we are in our window of opportunity for burning right now, and
I would like to take this opportunity to assure the house that the Liberal–National
government firmly stands behind our prescribed burning targets. I assure the
house that we will take every opportunity that we can in the coming season to
meet those targets. However, if the weather should go against us and if we get
too many more of these 35-degree days, that window of opportunity in the spring
burning season may indeed close a little bit quicker than we would like. Prescribed
burning is a very careful science. We have all seen when we have fallen short
of our targets, and we have all seen when things can go wrong in that space as
well. It is never a risk-free activity to undertake.
In answering the question, in response
to the Keelty report the Liberal–National government has invested $32.9
million in upgrading a suite of measures across our south west in response to
fire. We now have 77 dedicated fire managers within the Department of Parks and
Wildlife, 280 conservation employees, and 450 others, to a total of 800 or so
staff. I would also like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the level of
skill within the department of those staff who are applying measures to
prescribed burning. Indeed, I informed the house only last week that I had the
opportunity to present some fire medals to some of our staff in just one
region. Amongst that handful of staff there was around 2 000 years of
prescribed burning and firefighting experience. Three of those staff had had 45
years of concurrent firefighting experience in the south west.
Mr R.H. Cook : What else happened on the
way to school today?
Mr A.P. JACOB : I
could have written it for the member. I am only halfway through it.
In addressing this current prescribed burning season, I am
happy to report to the house that although we have had a wet spring and a later
start to it, we are already sitting at around 30 000 hectares in our target for
the coming year. We have in excess of 140 or so prescribed burns, I think, for
the spring burn. Members should not forget that the autumn burn will follow
that up next year, and we are about 44 burns into that, which is around 30 000
hectares in just the south west. I think it is also important to clarify for
the house that there is not just the south west; there is also the rest of the
state. In fact, for this current prescribed burning year, we are already in
excess of 200 000 hectares statewide. It is also an opportunity to remind the
house again that prescribed burning is a very important tool that we exercise
in managing our bushfire loads—something that this government strongly
supports—but it is also a shared responsibility. I would like to again
take the opportunity to remind people in Western Australia that local
governments and private landowners also share a responsibility to manage their
fire loads.
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