Australia over-reliant on defence in bushfire season

Kat Wong and Poppy Johnston | September 25, 2023

Australia needs to reduce its reliance on defence forces during disaster season, the emergency management minister says.

During the disastrous Black Summer blazes, more than 7000 defence personnel were deployed to help with the emergency.

But a parliamentary review found this reliance could reduce the country’s defence capabilities and Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt says defence personnel should not be the country’s first line of defence.

“We are overly relying on our defence forces when it comes to disaster seasons,” he told Seven’s Sunrise program on Monday.

“What we need to do is get to a point that they’re the last resort rather than the first port of call.”

One possible solution proposed includes a national community service style of firefighting and Senator Watt said the government was undertaking a consultation process.

With the worst fire season since the Black Summer blazes already under way, the federal government is determined not to let history repeat itself.

The first National Bushfire Preparedness Summit will take place at Parliament House on Monday to unite disaster management agencies and ensure a cohesive response to the bushfire season. 

During the two-day event, 250 representatives from federal, state and territory governments will convene in Canberra alongside specialists from emergency services, industry and not-for-profit organisations.

A simulated bushfire exercise is among the activities at the summit and will focus on preparedness, response and relief.

It will also examine approaches for vulnerable people including those living with disabilities and Indigenous communities.

Tall grasslands created by three years of La Nina rains have begun to dry out, leaving the perfect fuel for fast-moving fires, and an early spring heatwave has already sparked the first flames of the new season.

But preparations for the 2023-24 season are already well-advanced and Senator Watt has said he is confident in the country’s bushfire preparations.

This fire season is also “unlikely to be as catastrophic” as the Black Summer fires, Senator Watt said.

“We need to remember the Black Summer came at the end of a four-year drought across the country,” he said.

“In contrast, what we’ve seen is lots of heavy rain over the last couple of years in Australia, but I’m very confident that we are as prepared as we possibly can be.”

The 2019-20 bushfire season killed at least 34 people and destroyed more than 2000 homes, cloaking east coast skies in a blanket of ash for weeks and burning through an estimated 24.3 million hectares.

Since then, a new and simplified fire danger rating system has been introduced to help Australians better understand fire risk and ongoing funding for the national aerial firefighting fleet has doubled to $30 million.

The federal government, states and territories have invested $94 million for bushfire mitigation and preparedness this year.