News – Page 2 – Independent Bushfire Group

Shortfall in planned burning

After wet weather in May the Rural Fire Service issued a media statement saying that “thousands of hectares of hazard reduction burns scheduled for autumn have been postponed”.

Revelations from the NSW Bushfires Coronial

The coroner’s report contains much useful information. Of particular interest is an ‘executive statement’ submitted to the coroner from the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), which is reproduced in full in the coroner’s report. The NPWS statement raises three concerns: Prioritisation of aircraft, particularly for rapid response to new ignitions, command and control of fires, investigation of fires.

‘Long unburnt’ habitat is disappearing

Researchers report that changing fire patterns are having a major impact on biodiversity. Areas that have escaped fire for decades or centuries feature vital structures for wildlife such as logs and tree hollows, and are critical habitat for many threatened species. They found that this long unburnt habitat is in severe decline.

IBG responds to NSW Bushfires Coronial

IBG concludes that while the recommendations are welcome, they are very limited in their scope. This and previous inquiries have only been able to scratch the surface of bushfire operations, and coronial inquiries are poorly suited to finding lessons from how fires are managed.

Findings of NSW Black Summer Bushfires Coronial handed down

On 27 March the NSW Coroner delivered a two-volume report from this lengthy inquiry into the worst fires NSW has ever seen. The inquiry extended over 78 sitting days from August 2021 to August 2023 and considered 780 witness statements.

Backburning at the NSW Bushfires Coronial

The final Stage 2 public hearings of the NSW Bushfires Coronial Inquiry took place from 15 to 26 May 2023. The topic, one of several systemic issues identified from the Stage 1 hearings, was Backburning Operations – planning and execution.

An Icon at Risk – Current and Emerging Threats to the Victorian High Country: a report produced by the Friends of the Earth, Melbourne

The Victorian Alps is an area of unique biodiversity that evolved under specific climatic conditions resulting in unique Alpine habitats that are under extreme threat from the potential impacts of climate change.

NSW Bushfires Coronial Inquiry

The NSW Bushfires Coronial Inquiry is currently conducting a series of inquests and inquiries relating to the 2019-20 NSW bushfire season. The process is explained in the Coroner’s Public Hearings Information Paper.

How effective is aerial firefighting?

In January 2023 the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre (BNHCRC) released a tranche of reports related to the Black Summer fires (2019-2020). One of these was: Investigating the suitability of aviation tracking data for use in bushfire suppression effectiveness research.

Emergency leaders report on grass fire threat

A report from the Climate Council and Emergency Leaders for Climate Action (ELCA) has highlighted the emerging threat of grass fires after the rains of the past few years.