This parliamentary question clarifies that bushfires are not inherently classified as 'hazardous fires' under the Workers Compensation and Injury Management Act 2023, unless they involve human-made structures or refuse, which are linked to prescribed cancers.

AnsweredQoN 411Legislative Council
Asked
14 May 2026
Portfolio
Industrial Relations

QuestionView source ↗

Hazardous fires411.Hon Rob Horstmanto
theminister representing the Minister for
Industrial Relations:I refer to
theWorkers Compensation and Injury Management Act
2023and its accompanying regulations.(1) Are bushfires, including grass fires,
scrub fires and wild land urban interface fires, classified as hazardous fires
for the purpose defined in the act?(2) If not, why not?

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the
honourable member for some notice of the question. The following response has
been provided by the Minister for Industrial Relations.
(1) No.
(2) The defined term "hazardous
fire" is limited to the types of fires that have a known causal connection
to one or more of the prescribed cancers in the act and regulations. Bushfires
alone do not constitute a hazardous fire. However, any fire, including a
bushfire, will constitute a hazardous fire if it spreads to buildings,
vehicles, non-organic refuge or rubbish created by humans.

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