Editorial: Someone must answer for Fraser Island disaster

Fraser Island is a global treasure and those who have contributed to the damage caused by the massive ongoing blaze should be brought to account.

WE rightly lavish attention on the Great Barrier Reef, we jealously guard national icons such as Uluru and we spend millions monitoring and protecting our national parks.

Yet we in Queensland, authorities appear to have allowed a fire to rage across one of Australia’s greatest national treasures with what will be catastrophic consequences for native vegetation and wildlife.

The Queensland Government’s response to the Fraser Island bushfires has been appalling by any measure. This blaze which began in October has burned across nearly 85000ha and continues to engulf the ancient island which has been home to Indigenous Australians for thousands of years.

More than 50 per cent of Fraser Island has been scorched. Picture: Sarah Marshall

The island is also a major part of our state economy, drawing visitors from across the world. Yet yesterday’s Courier-Mail revealed that the fire was a time bomb ready to explode.

The report revealed government funded advisory committees provided up to 11 warnings to then Queensland Environment minister Leeanne Enoch’s office about the poor management of the island between 2018 and 2019.

The committee made up of scientists, politicians and Indigenous elders, delivered their final warning to Ms Enoch in August last year before being shut down.

In that report the committee suggested vegetation management and funding arrangements be “resolved promptly”.

The QPWS is also under the spotlight after allegations it allowed the fire to jump a track and burn out of control. The QPWS did not even hand over management of the blaze to the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service until almost six weeks after the blaze started from an illegal campfire. Most significantly, the late John Sinclair – “Mr Fraser Island’’ – was part on an island based environmental group which declared the island “a time bomb ready to explode”.

The Federal Government does not appear to be taking the World Heritage status of Fraser Island in any way seriously.

In 2019, Fraser Island was given federal funding worth just $145,000.

By comparison, Far North Queensland’s Wet Tropics received $5.8m.

As former Fraser Island Advisory Committee member Mike West puts it:

“Virtually the whole island in one year has been burnt to a crisp apart from some of the strong green rainforests.

“It’s cruel to watch.’’

Authorities have clearly allowed the situation on Fraser Island to develop despite being repeatedly warned by those on the ground of the dangers of inaction. To add insult to injury, last week the news broke that a Canadian Conair water bomber plane based in Bundaberg 90km from the island sat idle until November 17.

The decision to keep a plane, which has the capacity to drop 10,000 litres of water in a single payload, grounded during a serious fire emergency was explained away in State Parliament by Fire and Emergency Services Minister Mark Ryan as “a decision for fire fighters.’’

All of this is simply not good enough.

Fraser Island is not merely a national treasure but a global one.

Those who have made the wrong calls and contributed to the damage caused by this massive blaze should be identified and brought to account.