Ahead of what is shaping up to be a challenging bushfire season, an ACT Assembly committee inquiry has delivered a raft of recommendations which reinforce the need for preparedness and transparency in bushfire management, as well as increased funding for fire trail maintenance.
The irony is that the ACT government does not have to respond for a full four months, by which time the official 2024-25 bushfire season will be well under way, temperatures will have soared and operational teams will be waiting for the next big outbreak.
Chaired by Labor MLA Marisa Paterson, the Assembly inquiry was first convened back in December 2023 and has heard expert testimony. It also conducted site visits to the ACT Parks and Conservation Service's Stromlo depot and Bruce Ridge nature reserve.
The recommendations supported the service's push for increased forest fuel management and track maintenance prior to each season, and the need for adequate staffing and resources to conduct operations.
The ACT has been through two "mild" fire seasons, moderated by La Nina weather patterns. While there had been some significant storm activity, it progressed without the lengthy periods of hot, dry summer temperatures that have preceded previous periods of high bushfire concern.
The Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council reported in its most recent outlook that the ACT received below average rainfall for winter and little has changed since. As the low ACT spring rainfall continues, the risk steadily rises.
"If expected rainfall does not occur throughout spring, there could be an increased risk of bush and grass fires into summer," the APAC report said.
The Bureau of Meteorology has predicted "warmer than usual spring temperatures" with "increased chances of above average spring rainfall".
That spring rain however, is yet to arrive.
Bushfire management expert Tony Bartlett had long warned the ACT government that it should use the "quiet" bushfire seasons to plan and prepare for the active seasons that are always ahead.
The ACT's parks and conservation service officers sit right at the front line of preparedness, managing fuel loads and keeping fire trails open and clear so that RFS crews can get into threatened areas quickly before bushfires escalate.
The ACT Multi Hazard Advisory Council published a report in January last year. It made 23 recommendations on eight key issues encompassing bushfire mitigation and suppression planning, whole-of-government co-ordination, risk identification, resourcing, fire detection and inter-agency communication.
Little or no transparency has been provided on implementation, nor has progress been tracked on these recommendations.
