The SA government has proposed a plan for a more bushfire-resilient state, and now’s your chance to voice your thoughts on it.
The draft State Bushfire Management Plan 2021-2025 has been released for community consultation and feedback.
The development of the Plan was one of 15 recommendations made by former Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty AO as part of the Independent Review into the state’s devastating 2019/20 bushfire season.
The Marshall Government has acted on the recommendations and 68 findings, with almost $100 million in funding dedicated to protecting lives and property.
The plan seeks to:
• Identify major bushfire risks in South Australia with a focus on understanding those risks from at strategic level.
• Establish principles to support appropriate levels of hazard reduction.
• Support strategic coordination of bushfire management activities among fire and land managers and allied agencies.
• Establish requirements for preparation and implementation of Bushfire Management Area Plans to detect landscape risk on a regional scale.
Emergency Services Minister Vincent Tarzia said the draft plan has input from the State Bushfire Coordination Committee and will enhance the coordinated management of bushfire risk across Government, non-government organisations and the community.
“Our unprecedented $97.5m response to the Keelty Review is an investment in South Australia to keep our community safe and strong during bushfires,” Tarzia says.
“The Marshall Government is providing additional support and resources for volunteers, including extra staff and equipment, better protection for critical assets, enhanced communications, state-ofthe-art technology and improved mental health assistance for the Emergency Services Sector.”
State Bushfire Coordination Committee (SBCC) Chairman, and CFS Chief Officer, Mark Jones says all landholders and community members had a part to play in managing bushfire risk.
“As a community, we have grown accustomed to living with bushfires, and as a state we need to work together to better prepare and prevent these disasters from happening,” he says.
“The actions we take now can dramatically affect the impact of bushfires on individuals, businesses and communities when they occur. The climate is changing. Large bushfires may be inevitable, but the severity of their impacts will be greatly reduced if we all work together.”
Keeping with Jones’ belief that all community members play a role, you can now voice your thoughts on the proposed plan.
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