Yes I know its been done, but nothing else has.
I spent half a lifetime fighting bush fires.
I do know how we once kept them down.
But wet as it has been not even an effort has been made to burn forests now while it is safe.
Fire fighters have thrown in the towel, new rules and regulations create more paper work, make it harder to burn than anything ever seen.
We are headed for tragic, needless deaths.
Royal commissions have long ago told us what this one will, but out in the field people are not turning up at fire stations, let us face it the wrong untrained unskilled are.
It is not true that only a few days exist to burn of, a return to real efforts less red tape can see Forrest's not burn in fire storms, but this season?
Wait, see my forecast come true, neglect failures and wrong people running the fire sheds is about to kill again.
Smoke will rise next month, too little to late by Christmas into February we will know some may be dead unable to ask why.
I ask that question for them now why.

Belly,
I too have spent 45 years in Bush Fire Brigades and have learnt a little bit. I think you should aim your guns a bit higher than at the basic fire fighter.

The modern concept of centralised control is Ok for small fires, but under extreme conditions it fails because it does not allow local brigades the ability to act on the local conditions. The local brigades need more independence to take local action. Having said that, I also think that we have lost a lot of local practical people and most brigades are made up of young inexperienced people that have little bush skills. It irratates me that an appliance cannot leave the station until the whole crew gets there. We used to have many small units located on rural properties that went immediately the first smoke was seen.

State planning authorities and local councils also contribute to the problem by stopping fuel reduction programes and not allowing clearing around homes, etc.

All southern Aus is subject to fires and we have to build homes and clear with that in mind.

My rural home has a timber verandah and deck but there is sprinklers around underneath the verandah and some on roof. The yard has some trees but not many and is kept green with a perimiter sprinkler system. Gravity fed.

Outside the yard, my pony does an excellant job of fuel reduction and the area is cleared for 50metres or more.

Fire protection was up front when constructed and my home is my refuge and we will stay and protect. I advocate stay and fight but one must make the place safe as possible beforehand.

Onya belly, I owned a cattle station in FNQ for 25 years. If precautionary burns were not undertaken in May-June, the smoky joe in November December was horrific.

If Nathan Rees wants to save his fellow Australians from disaster he has to immediately accept that the Supreme Court is not working, and has stopped working since the Liberals screwed it in 1970, so that stupid regulations are allowed to continue, and fuel builds up so that when it burns, it will burn disastrously.

We have a stupid Brumby in Victoria, who could lead the herd away from a future disaster too, by getting Joe Saltalamacchia or whoever the Chief Registrar is to come into the Parliament and telling him that the Supreme Court in Victoria must not sit without juries, in any damages case involving fires. The law will ensure that precautions are taken, because the fifty thousand dollars compensation offered by the Brumb, is pathetic, and if the real cost was imposed by a Supreme Court properly constituted, for the mental shock of having your family murdered by bureaucratic neglect, then it would not happen.

These two most populous States are most at risk from fires. The real culprit is that sworn enemy of Labor called the Greens. Their only saving grace is they hate the Liberals more. Danny Nalliah the mad fundamentalist Christian from Melbourne called the fires God’s judgment. To some extent he is right. But it is really a judgment on the system that replaces grass roots political meetings, with communist central planning.

Kevin Rudd can fix it too. All he has to do is make the Federal Court of Australia a real competitor with the State Courts in the delivery of justice services. He has to accept that S 39 Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 and Order 46 Rule 7A Federal Court Rules are illegal and unconstitutional, and let the Federal Court be real competition for State Courts. If he enforced the Criminal Code Act 1995 ( Cth) against the Federal Court of Australia they would quick smart start to perform

Peter,
We cannot wait for our fools of politicians to act. The fire season will be upon us soon.

People have to start making their homes safer now, all it takes is a bit of common sense. Fires require fuel, oxygen and heat. Remove the fuel and little fire.

I realised long ago that in the event of a large fire I would be on my own. So I have taken action to secure the place. I have worked bloody hard for my assets and no ammount of insurance will cover them properly.

The best thing State governments can do now is overide local ordinances regarding clearing around homes and start a fire protection information programe. Get Nat Parks and Forestry on fuel reduction burning, which is good training for brigade members also.

Otherwise Belly's predictions will be correct.

Don't ya rekon its about time the people living in these remote areas should put some extra in themselves, instead of critsizing what the authorities haven't done.
If you choose to live in these places, do not blame any one but yourself when things go wrong.
Fires will happen, whether it be natural or man made.
If you live in places of one road in and one road out, its all on you.
Use some common sense and have a look around

Unfortunately the Greens who holds 'nature' above mankind have to much influence for any sensible decisions to be made.

Banjo I agree in fact while I do not always express myself well my target was always the same as yours.
So many long years ago a little 11 year old kid answered the ringing fire bell, a length of rail track help by a chain and belted with a hammer.
Only kids and mums ran to it, a working day we had luck our fire Capitan was at home.
it has been all of that 4o plus years experience that tells me we are in big trouble.
I never knew todays headlines would be about fires.
But my travels have shown me we are in for it.
Kids no longer do the hard work on the fire trucks some mums may.
But hard headed fire fighters no longer are able to spend winter weekends burning paddocks and roadside rubbish.
Runner is not far from right, some who know little have far too much say, in preventive burning.
Government appointed fools put us all in danger by stopping burning, the paperwork they generate would feed a huge bush fire, in some ways it does.
Now bloke, sorry forgot your sign in tag, even I do not want unskilled and uniformed out in the bush fire stick in hand.
Look closely at Victoria's tragic fires, the Royal commission told us all much of the problem is neglect and sods with ego but no ideas in charge.
We are talking in advance about needless tragic deaths its too late to avoid.

The greens have to much of a strong hold in this country, telling us what we can and can't do.

Did anyone see the story about the guy who defied council orders and cleared his own fire break, only to be finned by council. And, guess what, his house was still standing.

I say one of two things.

1. Make it compulory to clear at least 50m from any building
2. Don't allow houses to be built in high risk areas, like on the top of a heavily forested hill.

Also, forests must be cleared of 'fuel' at least every year or two. What is more important.

Remember, every time there is a major disarster, all insurance policies go north.

Antonios,
Not only do I think you are a stupid, self opinionated fool, but now also a fraud and charlatan. You will not answer the questions put to you and yet you claim to 'support' all manner of things. I say you give verbal support to things that you think are popular at that time.

Further, I believe you hide behind "I am a poor migrant and my English is poor crap" You have been here 16 years and some of your posts are excellently written and others rubbish.

You say you support womens rights and childrens rights. Yet you openly invite all and sundry to come here irrespective of any cultural practices they may embrace that could be detrimental to women and children. You claim the migrants have rights.

You claimed to support aboriginals, and when a poster, who said he was aboriginal, put forward something you disagreed with you reply with disparaging remarks about him and his mother.

When I critise some migrants for not abiding by our laws and social standards, you call me racist and nazi. Critisism is not racism.

So does multiculturalism and migrants rights to pursue their culture overide our laws relating to FGM and forced marriages. You once said to give them time. Well is 3 generations enough? Croats and Serbs still fight each other and some that were subject to FGM as girls are now having FGM done to their daughters.

We should not continue to 'turn a blind eye' to some cultural practices and give some groups 'cultural privilege'. If they break our laws they should be punished. Not to do so is not fair to all the other migrants that do adjust to our society, however difficult that may be.

If our experiance shows that some alien cultural practices continue through generations, then we should not import any more of that group. This should be done to maintain society cohesiveness.

Sorry Belly and others, the above was obviously meant for another thread.

ok moving on [lol]...i walked a different path the other day[one of those pathways council build between bush and houses..you would not bellieve the ammount of burnable litter and dead trees and branches on these things...

clearly there needs to be a cleanup of all that fuel before normal burnoff begins..[if we ever do return to small anual burnoffs that is]...

it seems its being done...quite deliberatly...
so they can say see....

its..GLOBAL WARMING...
knowing the pay as you earn mugs
will THEN...simply...take the tax

yes its being done quite deliberatly
but
go ahead and believe what you chose

I forgive you Banjo, it needed to be said.
We will see threads after the deaths and horror, we will ask why, but it will be too late.
Research the recommendations of past Royal commissions and inquiry's, do so with an open mind.
If you look you will find story's about true dedication, whole winter weekends daylight to dark burning of , preventing next years fires, some times just one or two fire fighters.
Different blocks each year, we can not, should not burn every block every year.
But fuel levels are very high, much higher than we can handle, in summer, it is almost,well it is too late to be sure a burn will not get away, turn into a nigh mare fire storm,
And councils say fill in the requests, oh sorry wait for a day, gee too late next year maybe.
People who grow a huge gum tree in their back yard if not killed by its falling Branch's may be by the flames after fire gasses up those leaves.
IF just maybe, a very good team, fire fighters get past the paperwork and get a fire burning before the heat, bet every cent you have some mums and dads who know nothing about Australian bush will put letters to the editor or ring the radio station complaining,,,about an attempt to save their lives.
Sadly that radio presenter knowing even less than the mums and dads will likely highlight it as Eco vandalism.
We need to grow up wake up, and understand you do not have to be an idiot to be a true conservationist.

Dear Peter the believer,
I am sorry to have to tell you that the kingdom of the devil has raisedup an unholy aliance of the labour unions, greens and enviromentalists under the banner of socialism but is Marxist in its world view.
As you know the devil is the father of lies and comes to rob, kill and destroy. All
ways remember the fight is not against flesh and blood [people] but against principalities, powers and darkness in high places , for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God In pulling down strongholds.
When a household is divided it falls so as you see prayer is the only effective answer for the mess man has created. Read Mark chapter3:23 to 29.
Belly best of luck with your fires but I think your words lack authority.

Belly,
As peter said, Onya for raising this matter now and I just hope it gets people in rural properties, villiages, towns and outer urban areas to think what they can do to lessen the fire risk. Now is the time to start doing what is needed. There is heaps of information available from councils about what can be done.

In most libraries there is a book titled 'The Complete Australian Bushfire Book' written by a Victorian lady, Joan Webster. It was written after the Ash Wednesday fires in victoria. It is easy to read and has all the information that anyone would need.

I do not expect much to come from the current inquiry. One thing that does interest me is that in Vic there seems, not only is there the CFA commanding firefighters, but at least one other bureaucracy having a lot to say in fire operations. That needs sorting out quick smart.

You would think they would learn from Ash Wednesday, but no. You would think they would learn from the Canberra fiasco, but no, and all the other large fires and inquiries that we have endured, but I doubt it. I doubt we will get much from the current inquiry. Someone may be made a scapegoat, but most of the egotistacal incompetents up the chain of command are expert at covering their arses. Things will continue virtually the same I expect.

A home owner is on his own when there is a large fire in extreme conditions, and if he values his family and his assets he should prepare for that situation.

Richie ten sorry but you seem to need help, truly I think you should seek it.
A very common thing in extremists of any creed, you think you earn browny points by preaching to me and others.
If you where hungry I would feed you.
If you had no home I would house you.
If it was in my power I would do whatever I could, for you or any human.
I am not evil not a Christian, but you need help.
The fires are coming, by late September till march this country will again burn, we never learn.
End note, as we are a country of free speech may ask I Christians to consider why God gets a Guernsey in such a thread?
Remember the LUNATIC who said God bought the deaths in Victoria's fires?
No such murderous God exists we can be thank full for that

Belly God is the God of the living . The DEVIL is the GOD of the DEAD. Get your FACTS straight.

This morning is a day away from work, I need it it has been a hard one.
I have however been hard at it sending e mails reading them, and the news papers.
This mornings Sydney Tele has one of great interest.
It is about a twitter stalker.
Who thinks he is a God.
Now it may not be true, wise people know they are often not,but it bought me back to OLO.
To the world in general, I am not trying to be rude, far from it, have spoken of the basic goodness in many maybe most who follow a God.
And admitted I ONCE DID.
But truly, some hide in the arms of their God from the real world as it is, from reality's we must daily confront.
And spring out in threads with nothing to do with God.
Seemingly believing they are to be rewarded in heaven for imposing a dieing belief even on the unwilling.
Richie ten , find a true restful life, follow your dreams if you must but why impose it on me?
Do you support the lunatic who blamed those deaths on us all in Vic?
Is your God such a spiteful one?
Let us face it the thread is dead we often fail because of ,well surely I am not being rude in saying what seems to be messages from unstable people?
Every God has good followers, sadly every single one has bad too.
You do more harm than good Richie ten in representing your version of the fairy tales about God.

Ok last years fires were a shocker. The people of AU helped to unlimited depths. This year it can all happen again, so what do we do, dig deep again, or tune out and let nature take it's course. If people living in these remote areas don't get it now they never will.
Insurance has got to have zones instead of penalizing all of us.
If you live in high risk areas, user pays.

Belly,
I think I've said this before but when I was in Qld I and the local SES district commander arranged a bushfire awareness meeting in a particularly vulnerable outer Brisbane area. They and the fire brigade had estimated the fire hazard had been estimated as extremely High with between 16-18 Tonnes of dry/drying fuel per hectare.
The firebreak access track at the back of the houses had been (ab)used to store illegally gained fire wood, a chook house, a place to store Boats and even a car service pit had been dug all of which was illegal.

Well no body came to the meeting, The council went round and told the people to clean up their illegalities for safety reasons. As I had been seen with the Commander and delivered the flier speaking to every house in the area, I was victimized, threatened etc....because I had "interrupted their lifestyle".
PS 12 mths latter it burned the properties back yards sustained damage one house was destroyed. Last trip I noted all the blockages were back albeit in different form. And I was told to **.
The load is due to the rain is higher and waiting to burn in the dry.
Some people don't want to learn...(god bless those 60 properties...someone had better.)
PPS. Because of the proximity to the sea the average home owner is 55+
and records show that about 40% are from interstate etc.

It is much deeper than that Desmond, and I understand and agree examinator.
Those people I want to help are not always unknowing city dwellers in the bush.
Killer fires more often kill city dwellers on the outskirts of towns.
I refuse to put a price on their heads.
We can make it better, people like examinator try, government red tape and control by those who never will understand kills .
Now it kills more and more often.
Desmond we need people to live outside our city's, to provide food and so much more.
We however do not need fools to try to change the very nature of our bushland
invite Ludwig if he is around, to comment on some natives trees building up bark and such under the trees so it will burn, be converted to food and clear ground for seedlings.
We should not try to change nature by having fire storms instead of slow burning winter fires.

Belly,
Saw this only this morning. Step in the right direction and I would like more details.

"A trees-before-humans green madness is rolled back (too late):

RESIDENTS in fire-prone areas across Victoria will be free to remove trees and native vegetation near their homes under a State Government strategy designed to avoid a repeat of February’s deadly Black Saturday bushfires.

Under new rules, property owners will not need a council permit to remove trees and vegetation within 10 metres of their homes. They will also be allowed to remove low-lying vegetation, such as shrubs and scrub, out to 30 metres from homes....

The Government is also moving to cut bureaucratic red tape to enable residents to collect firewood from roadsides, after authorities complained that their ability to tackle the February fires was hampered by undergrowth.

Remember the pre-fires madness, when people were fined for clearing trees around their homes, picking up dead sticks, and creating the fire breaks that saved their house?

"Under new rules, property owners will not need a council permit to remove trees and vegetation within 10 metres of their homes"
Ten metres is not enouph! We need at least 30 meters to be sure.
Instead of the iresponsible, beaurocratic local counsils it is better to Give more power to residents to protect their properties, our forests and wild animals!
Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaide

Rudd’s tut tutting about the Victorian Bushfires, instead of making a decisive impact in that State, as the paramount leader of the paramount State in Australia should be causing Belly to feel a bit queasy, despite his bravado. It should be causing all Labor supporters to feel uneasy. It makes me feel uneasy too.

The fact is that in none of the big eastern Australian States is the electorate going to have a chance to throw out a State Government before the Commonwealth must go again. Victoria is set to go after the Commonwealth must go again. Queensland does not get another chance for three years, and New South Wales is set to go after the next Federal Election too.

There is enormous dissatisfaction in Victoria, with its State Government, New South Wales is a basket case according to Belly, and Queensland is a dictator’s paradise. The Commonwealth can do something about the bushfire situation, because it has the power. The power it has is the power to take over and control the forces to execute and maintain the laws of the Commonwealth, granted by Section 51 Placitum vi. It can make laws for the peace order and good government of the Commonwealth, and for the people of any race for whom it is deemed necessary to make special laws. In this authority any means every. No matter what race a person is, he or she is entitled to live a life free of fear, and fear of death by fire, is almost a universal fear.

Unless Rudd bites the bullet and accepts responsibility for fire control, his office will have to answer for the next disaster. There are going to be some big ones in New South Wales too, in all probability, Canberra had a whopper not too long ago, this is a National Problem, and needs a National Answer.

Gillard may be thinking it’s really nice to be on the top of a mountain. The thing is that once there the only way off is down, unless she can make it a plateau. Its time Kevin took control

If an Arab pyrotechnician had lit the Victorian bushfires, the response would have been instantaneous, and decisive. Ever how many died, their deaths were unnecessary. These people were killed by State Government stupidity that the Commonwealth can do something about.

The Commonwealth has the power, it has the money and it has a ready supply of personnel to mobilize in any such national emergency, so why has it sat on its hands for 109 years. There are some things so important that they are a Commonwealth responsibility. One of these is personal security, and security from fire is another. In State after State there are ample instances of Police Corruption, Fire services should be under the control of the Commonwealth, and so should the Police.

There should be a universal career option for Police equal to service in the armed forces, and ample resources to keep them in a job, for life, free from State political interference. The patronage available to State politicians to sell to criminals is available because the State of Australia has never fully integrated its law enforcement resources.

The career path for a Policeman should be a national one, not limited to State borders. This State of Australia was deliberately not made a United States, and the career path for Firemen should be a National one as well.

Before this bushfire season, Kevin Rudd should reform the Federal Court so as to make the Commonwealth responsible under the Constitution for dereliction of duty under the Constitution. The Commonwealth should pay damages to the victims of the Victorian Bushfires, and all others, because it is responsible as the ultimate authority. The buck stops at the lodge.

If there are no precautionary burns undertaken to guarantee that the bush does not burn like it did, before the electorate has another chance to make a judgment, or adequate resources made available including the full might of the military, to ensure fire security, the government may not be safe. It has the power, let’s see it use it to save its own hide. The Red Steer is merciless.

Peter,
I do not necessary argee with you. Federal take over of everything does not ensure it is going to be improved. In fact the bigger the burauecracy the bigger the stuff ups can be. Bushfire control was taken away from local councils, in NSW, not long ago and, although they have build a vast empire, I do not expect any improvement in fire control. More of the funds simply go on administration.

Our electricity was taken over by the state and no improvement. Control of hospitals were taken out of local boards and they are now a mess. So being bigger does not mean better.

We have a ridiculous situation where the PM is commenting on things said on a talk back radio station about a girls sexual experiences. One would think the feds would have much more to consider in the bigger picture.

I believe our Bushfire Brigades worked better when there was far more local input and decissions on equipment and stratagies were made locally. I think now too much is placed on centralized control.

So No, I do not agree that bushfire control should be a federal matter.

10 metres for big stuff and 30 metres for under growth clearence limits from homes are woefully inadequate.
There has been no mention, as far as I can tell, of cutting trees back from roads; no tree that is in a position to fall and block a road should be allowed to remain standing. It only takes one fallen tree to turn an escape route into a disaster area.

Waste a vote : Vote Green

We seem to be singing in harmony Banjo.
You and I know the federal government plays no part in the problem.
Local government, very often greens or lost unknowing conservationists are committing the murders.
Its been cold and frosty in the mornings, dry very little wind sunny days.
Nothing hard about it, about now, no later get the drip torch out and get working.
By nigh fall it is out or burning in a circle you and I would have made, with our fire torch's.
We may have started 4 hours ago, but we would kill no animals, no trees no humans, and once the dead leaves finish falling in a few weeks it would be safe for a while.
Our fire stations are closed sheds empty, no one to take the risk, see if you burn and do not know just how to do it, or the wind changes you can be in real trouble.
red tape is killing good practice in fire fighting.

This post would have been just as much at home in the one NSW a basket case.
That thread however died at the hands of Christian fundamentalism.
On leaving this thread a few minutes ago I went to Sydney Heralds home page.
The headline story?
In the midst of a truly demoralized fire fighting system no joy for ,
Those who freely give time to put our fires out, they find they are forced into standing up to this states lost leader, debt burdened he has the rat bag idea combining departments will fix it.
Watch this space, his party must understand he is the problem not the answer.
Fire fighters must be supported not driven out of the service.
I fear the outcomes of such government acts at this time.

Belly
I agree entirely with you about fuel reduction burning. During winter, we get a few hours on frosty days when it can be best done. Far too much paperwork and other rot for brigades to be bothered now, especially on crown land. It can take up to 3 years to get approval to burn, which is ridiculous.

The other day it was a good day to burn, so I let the neighbors know and went and lit up a few heaps of stumps, etc and then pushed them in again before dark. Make the most of good opportunity to get rid of hazard.

I am sure we will find other things on which to disagree.

Belly et al,
I agree with controlled burns but by who? Take the Adelaide hills I have been told that one of the characters who started the fire was a CFSer.

I also agree with SA in that building in high fire areas is banned or closely controlled (mandatory inclusions).
Home owners in rural/semi rural environments need to take responsibility for their local fire protection as being legally part of living in such areas. Rather than what happens now 'it's someone else's problem' (SEP). In the area I was referring to earlier all the owners blamed the council (they have the bush fire trained people all of 25 fighters).

These same people bitched and carried on about a levy to pay for fire reduction. Because its an semi urban area the fires are attended by the fire brigade who are trained in house fires.

The whole way we address bush fires in this country needs to be re evaluated.

The idea that there hasn't been a fire here before so there won't be needs to addressed. I'm thinking that in most local areas the ground load are weeds like lantana which burns hot enough to cause hot fires.. For that and other reasons I firmly believe that cold burns are ONE of a suit of actions and not always the best solution in all situations.

I have seen mass disasters created by Know it all farmers and people who think they know burning off. I favour people who do know i.e. have training experience and education in short understanding of the consequences etc.
Imagine if we burned off massive areas tomorrow consider the smoke the release of CO2 etc.

I remember a farmer burning off and because of the smoke caused 3 car accidents on a adjacent highway which claimed the lives of a young family....the farmer got $5k fine and a suspended sentence.

Sorry to say you are right examinator, the types you describe exist.
BUT they are used to stop preventive burning far to often.
And SOME fire stations have FIRE BUGS in them, few, very few.
Who burns of, fire fighters in my state can be asked to should be involved if you are not sure, always.
We see bush fires fought by bush fire teams, not paid fireys, as it should be in my state.
We should never ever let a few bad events blind us to Victoria's agony.
Such outcomes are about to happen again and again if we blindly look for reasons not to protect bush, animals, humans from fire storms.
We will revisit this theme often before a summer is over, you betcha Banjo, but we always do.

Belly,
I agree that CFA, CFS et at do have sprinklings of psychological unbalanced individuals and they are extremely small in number.

I guess my point is that.

- Not enough money is spent on APPROPRIATE training by governments/authorities. which is due to the lack of concern by the willfully ignorant masses who would rather save 'levy' for a 2 mtr TV....Priorities are wrong.

- Not enough effort and money on research

- not enough spent on informing the public and enforcing it.
You live where it might burn then your house MUST be built to withstand fire. If you can't afford or don't want the add ons then you can't (afford) to live there period.

Every one involved has their own singular focus which tends to be one sided to my way of thinking there should be a TAFE/uni course in fire MANAGEMENT which includes burn rates temperatures and other techniques.
I've seen ENERGEX contractors bulldoze endangered species bushes in a reveg patch because their 'arborist (?)' said they were gums and this was the most cost efficient method of ensuring the didn't grow up under the transmission lines. PS the plants grew to a meter.

I'd like 10 cents for every time Ive seen great rows of stumps being burned by farmers and developers in Queensland ....because it's cost effective.

Who gave them permission a council planner who wouldn't know a valley wind current from a fart.

The whole burning off thing is in my mind a whole discipline and needs a rounded knowledge not just plants= fire therefore eliminate plants.
There are some native understory plants that have a symbiotic relationship with some trees and some native plants that reduce more flammable weeds and competitors.

Examinator you surprise me, in NSW and surely every state?
Training takes place, those in command know great details about wind temp, fuel load and very much more.
Before the fire is started.
Those stumps? well here at least much of the year you just can not burn without a permit.
And so it should be.
Even if you burn in winter you must inform your neighbors first.
Training is not the problem.
Sorry but the things you highlight are.
People highlight those concerns, give too much weight to them, make it imposable to burn when its under control.
A Little knowledge can be a very bad thing.
You would be stunned to see a fire base engine room, the information available to those fighting it is huge.
In the devastating Victorian fires red tape and wrong people in those rooms saw the information not used and deaths, needless deaths result.

One of Australia’s greatest problems is the lack of accountability by State Governments. Both Victoria and New South Wales have been grossly irresponsible in letting their States be littered by a body of flammable material, so deep that when it burns, people get killed. This is virtually negligence amounting to manslaughter.

As a people the Australians made it quite clear by a referendum in 1899, that we wanted to have one National Government. That National Government has a clear responsibility to protect its citizens, not only from threats to them by terrorists from abroad, but also from those inside our borders too. It has so far been a useless organization. It has been listening to the wrong people. It almost did a job in 1957, when it enacted the Commonwealth Police Act 1957, and another half a job in 1979, when it enacted the Australian Federal Police Act 1979, but what we really need is a fully integrated National Emergency Services Command to include the Army, Police and Firemen.

The Commonwealth has power to control the forces to execute and maintain the laws of the Commonwealth. The laws of the Commonwealth include laws made by each of the States that make up the Commonwealth, including the Commonwealth itself. It has power to make laws about insurance, (xiv) and the biggest losers in catastrophic bushfire situations after the people who lose their lives and loved ones are the institutions who write insurance against fires. Because it controls insurance it has a duty to ensure that fire risks are eliminated, and to that end two arms of a public service are required. Police and Firemen. Already we have volunteer firefighters, and it is time we had volunteer Commonwealth Police as well.

This is a matter for the Minister for Home Affairs to address as a matter of urgency. The Hon Brendan O’Connor lives in Melbourne not far from where the roaring bushfires devastated a very beautiful part of Australia. One of his responsibilities is the protection of (ii) property of the Commonwealth (including Commonwealth places) and property of authorities of the Commonwealth