ACT Govt urged to do more hazard reduction in off-season
ACT Govt urged to do more hazard reduction in off-season
26 December 2006
published by www.abc.net.au
Australia — The group that represents Australia’s forest industry says the ACT Government needs to do more in the bushfire off-season if it is to prove that it has learnt from the deadly 2003 firestorm.
The last budget foreshadowed cuts to the number of park rangers, leading to fears the workforce will be reduced after the current bushfire season.
The National Association of Forest Industries’ Allan Hansard says the Government needs to ensure there are sufficient resources throughout the year to reduce the risk of fire.
“They have a bit of lock-up and leave mentality,” he said.
“They don’t actively manage these reserves to reduce the risk, and at the end of the day what we see is wildfire often goes through these areas and wipes out the values they were really set-up for in the firstplace.”
