BURNT BY MOVE
COUNCIL is furious after a shock decision by the State Government to pull out of providing support for its firies for hazard reduction burns.
Recommendations from a committee meeting held in closed session yesterday reveal Mayor Tom Tate will write to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk asking the Government to reconsider its decision.
The council believes the decision is not in keeping with the royal commission into the 2009 Victorian bushfires.
COUNCIL is furious about a shock decision by the State Government to pull out of providing support to fireys for hazard reduction burns.
Recommendations from a committee meeting held in closed session yesterday reveal Mayor Tom Tate will write to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk asking the Government to reconsider its decision.
The council believes the decision is not in keeping with the royal commission into the 2009 Victorian bushfires, which showed hazard reduction burns could have prevented some of the 173 lives being lost.
The existing contract between council and the state, signed off until 2022, had led to training and employment for both local urban and rural fire brigades, and helped in local planning and risk assessment.
Councillors asked the Premier and the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service to reconsider.
They want the council to resume talks with fireys to
“renew the contract beyond June 2022 for a further 10 years plus five years”.
Council officers will prepare a report on the outcome of the talks and possible options if a new contract is not signed off.
Lifestyle committee chairman Herman Vorster told the Bulletin: “It can’t even really be about money we hope, given that council has resolved to increase its investment in the partnership.”
Cr Vorster believes the partnership between the state and council gives householders security.
“Without that partnership we would need to find somebody to fill the void. If you were receiving a knock at the door in connection with a backburn project, we are simply of the view it’s better that it’s a firey or city officer than anyone else. It’s a comfort to the resident but it’s also comfort to us as city councillors, we’ve got the right people.”
In February, councillors wanted council to employ a permanent backburning team to help prevent a repeat of last year’s horrific bushfires in the Gold Coast Hinterland.
They had organised for the briefing by senior QFES officers after fire ripped through nine homes and the historic Binna Burra Mountain lodge and its cabins last September.
Updated mapping shows about 51,051ha, or 37 per cent, of the Coast region is judged to be a very high, high or medium bushfire hazard and another 26,329ha, about 19 per cent, is within a 100m potential impact buffer of the hazard.
Fire and emergency services minister Craig Crawford said the QFES would honour its contract, but did not plan to re-tender for this work given these services could also be provided by other parties.
All other local government areas in Queensland use alternative arrangements to manage bushfire risks on their land, including their own personnel or private providers, he said.
Decisions on managing bushfire risks in the Gold Coast local government area rests with City of Gold Coast Council, he added.
QFES says it will continue to support council through existing disaster management arrangements.