It is summer and fire season again in australia
like years past, there are lives lost and hundreds of millions of dollars burnt to ashes...dreams shattered and livelihoods that need to be rebuilt

just too much pain

i was driving along the highway yesterday and noted a sign from the State Govt that offered $50,000 to informants on arson activities

and i found the following summary on our laws on arson

http://www.aic.gov.au/crime_types/property%20crime/arson/arson%20legislation/indictable.html

i must say the punishment is way too out of whack for the crime committed

my views are

a. adult who are caught with deliberate arson activities should be
i. hanged if lives are lost
ii. life imprisonment (with parole for good behavior) if no lives are lost

b. adults who are caught with careless arson activities...like slashing pastures in summer... throwing of cigarette butts into bushes or out of cars....
i. life imprisonment (with parole for good behavior) if no lives are lost or heavy fines to be imposed by the presiding courts

c. minors caught for both (a) and (b), haul their parents to be accounted for the crime committed and the minor be sent to be rehabilitated

Enough of lives lost and resources wasted. Time for us to act as a nation?

Or we perhaps we should just send all of the above to classes to be educated as there is good in all of us and we must emphasize on rehabilitation and correction and not on punishment

I agree that arsonists should be heavily punished but it should also be noted that despite tabloid media scaremongering, on investigation it is found that most bushfires are caused by lightning and power lines.

@mikk

of course, if the cause is natural, we can only do the preventive
but i am convinced many are caused by arsonists and many are grown ups !

fines of $50,000 and 15 years jail for lives lost and $100s of millions lost just does not add up