Firies desperate for funding
17 May 2022
Published by: https://cqtoday.com.au
AUSTRALIA – Rural Firefighters and Emergency Services are concerned a lack of Federal commitment toward a strategic fire mitigation road and fire-trails network funding will leave rural communities at greater risk.
Rural Brigade 1st Officer and chair of the Capricorn Coast bushfire support group Mr John Macdonald said the Federal Government’s failure to allocate specific funding for strategic mitigation road and fire-trail infrastructure leave rural communities across the regions at even greater risk in coming fire seasons.
“We were hopeful following a recent round table meeting with Federal Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery Bridget McKenzie and Michelle Landry MP that this situation could be addressed,” Mr Macdonald said.
“Both the Minister and Michelle indicated they would speak with Barnaby Joyce about a possible election commitment from the National Party’s regional infrastructure funding.
“Regrettably, despite approaches to both major parties, as polling day draws nearer a pre-election commitment from either major party now seems unlikely.
“Brigade members have become increasingly disillusioned with repeated requests for critically needed road and fire-trail upgrades being ignored.
“Following Cobraball fires Livingstone Shire Council called the brigades together to identify strategic roads and fire trail upgrades that future Federal funding could be directed toward.
“The most recent round of Black Summer Grants again highlighted our issues when only $115,000 of the $4.5 million in Federal funding allocated to Livingstone Shire Council was directed toward Rural Fire Brigade mitigation infrastructure requests.
“It would appear commitments made and lessons following the 2019 black summer bushfires have been forgotten by both the current Federal Government and our Local Government in relation to specific funding for strategic fire mitigation infrastructure.”
Former Local Disaster Management Group Chairman Bill Ludwig said rural communities would again pay a high price for the Federal Government’s continued lack of specific funding toward establishing dedicated strategic road and fire-trail networks to mitigate the growing risks from major fires.
“The Cobraball fire-storm and major fires that threatened Gracemere and The Caves were wake-up calls for what our region will be facing in the future,” Mr Ludwig said.
“It is incomprehensible that Federal, State and Local Governments are not collectively investing greater levels of funding into mitigation infrastructure now before the next major disaster happens,” Mr Ludwig said.
“Rural Fire Brigades are community volunteers who know what’s needed and put their lives on the line for our rural communities. They need and deserve better support from all levels of Government to keep rural communities safe.”
