SOS-NEWS BUSHFIRE INQUIRIES
What we have uncovered and what government do not want you to know about bushfires

Jun

17

BRINDABELLA FIRE ABATEMENT PLAN 13 JUNE 2009.

Filed Under NSW, RFS, ACT, 2003 ACT Fire


Scientist and farmer Noeline Franklin met with the Rural Fire Service Deputy Fire Commissioner Dominic Lane, Southern Region Manager Jeff Lucas and Lindsay Lashbrook, Riverina at Brindabella to explain the folly of the events leading up to the 2003 firestorm to the west of Canberra. Hazard reduction to maintain the ideal vegetation structure she explained used to be achieved by a mix of activities. Wildlife grazing and browsing, traditional cool fire, dingo suppression and after European settlement the reinstatement of mega fauna grazing to assist cool fire and forest activities with vegetation and fire management.

Noeline and her family has long held the view the fires across the high country recently have been “man made events” as is the current and continued water crisis achieved by catchment management “over burning” at unprecedented intensities.

Biodiversity has suffered preventable mass extinction. In many areas, recovery is still very doubtful. The threat of repeated intense fire is unacceptable in a deformed regrowth continued to be chronically cool fire and grazing deprived. The risk and potential impact are now worse than in the first big fire 2003-9. We want to embark on a “Canobolas Model” fire abatement plan process where private landholders, all agencies ACT, NSW parks, forestry and fire fighters come to the table and face the circumstances to work to prevent any more man made holocausts. Dominic Lane gave an undertaking such a plan and actions take place as a matter of urgency.

Noeline went on to illustrate some of the issues and failures other than abandonment regionally of vegetation management, structure of fuel load. Fire access tracks locked irreversibly, tracks inaccessible from hoodlum use of 4WD and off road bikes, aerial fire fighting limited by poor visibility in smoke and accessible water, turn around times, no use of retardant in “city” water catchments.

She called that erroneous, misleading and politically loaded historical Government reports be removed and discredited from any future planning process. Had Mr Phil Koperberg NSW Member for Blue Mountains one time secretary for emergency services fulfilled his promise to the Brindabella community on 24.1.09 and been present then discussions could have included untenable ill informed legislation and regulation. These discussions will be deferred to a suitable time in the near future. Native vegetation laws, smoke nuisance, public misconceptions on cool burning, forestry and grazing as hazard reduction measures and known effective fire risk mitigating agents for security of community, biodiversity and the nations water.

Noeline was prepared to challenge the “science” underlying many failed and flawed public land management policies not delivering security for community, biodiversity or water. Man has been using fire to good effect for over 250 000 years she said. Why do we have to punish our environment, repeatedly hot burn and wait for commissioned science to catch up or catch on?

The Snowy community has held their breath for the last several decades each fire season as if on borrowed time. The “blow up days” of 1939 were bound to be revisited. Heat wave conditions dry winds, dry drought fuel in the flammable Australian bush. In 2003, 2006, 2009 fire came to the high country of South East Australia like never before in the 400 million year history of land plant evolution! Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide, Murray irrigators plunged into a man made water crisis indefinitely by fire deformed vegetation!

The technocrats that always wanted to be a fire fighter and drive a big red truck or fly in a helicopter dumping water on the red devil have tried to out pace fuel accumulations under “fire suppression” policies imposed “scientifically” to care(?) for our native biodiversity and nations water supplies! A short sighted, naïve incomplete, inherently politically biased science is being challenged for its unacceptable unaccountable outcomes for security of community, biodiversity and national water. Fire fighters and technology has tried to deliver “fire suppression,” at what expense?

Millions of hectares of dense “over grown” abandoned eucalypt forest chronically deprived cool fire and mixed species grazing has prepared Australia for the most serious fire future ever. Man made fuel loads built by the fire fighting race. The better fire suppression could be delivered the more fuel accumulated, the bigger and more damaging will be the inevitable uncontrollable fire.

This small community to the west of the National Capital Canberra has witnessed the expulsion of local community management that achieved pristine water catchment and conservation icon status for the region. They have written and participated in public submissions, public meetings, offering freely their generations of land and forest management experiences and insights “repeated warnings” of consequences of the mindless adoption of “no graze” policies backed by harbouring packs of dingo in combination with “fire suppression” policies. Policies imposed by people with no fire expertise with primitive or no long term sustainable ecological understanding. People without accountability for their selfish imposts, cheap water, low pressure careers on the public pay roll, exclusive access to public lands and assets, commissioned unchallenged science and bought media…

The pristine water catchment and conservation icon confiscated off community by false claims of exploitation by a minor sect with political connections. Subjective, unsubstantiated claims of “over burning” “over grazing” to replace legally binding crown land lease agreements with a nebular of internal reports from commissioned science and vote catchers given privileged access to public land and assets with no legal obligations. Legal documents, to be replaced by a “house of cards” subject to abuse of public office a very clear and traceable conflict of interest and no legal protection.

The Snowy community have been forced to witness the unprecedented slaughter and carnage 2003-9 of their national heritage. Publicly vilified and misrepresented as environmental villains for speaking up for the nations assets. Their families traumatized, lives, livelihood threatened by a remotely located, deaf, belligerent bureaucracy. A community forced to endure the misleading claims “nothing could be done.” “No one could have anticipated such fires!” “Why weren’t we warned!” Watching various publicly expensive bushfire enquiries miss the point or avoid installing future prevention or bushfire risk management. Lethal legislation and regulation imposed on a law abiding community.

Most can remember when water was high quality, reliable rain and run off, biodiversity maximal choice of niches to move around. Community offered a high level of fire protection. Had the people in 1939 had the fire fighting equipment of today then the outcomes highly improved if not as now negated by chronic fire suppression and no graze policies building fuel beyond any capacity to fight fires. Fire prevented likely on the day and fuel reduction achieved in other ways. Selective harvest of grasses and forest.

Canberra has 40% water storage, Melbourne 23%. Irrigators and farmers have paid for water they have not received in years. The Murray has a 800 kilometre algal bloom. Canberra to Melbourne is a greater fire risk than ever before! Many species extinct locally if not fully, sheet erosion and rain shadow kept secret. Modern Australia began from dysfunctional governance and social injustice. Why does this have to be revisited? How long do communities have to endure repeated high country fire tearing at the very flesh of the nation built by hard work and human suffering?

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