Survivors want answers: Remembering Cobraball fires

“The Royal Commission is clear climate change is contributing to more frequent fires; yet the Federal Government is dragging its feet on reducing emissions.”

A group of survivors has criticised the Federal Government for taking too long to take “clear and decisive” action regarding bushfires.

It has been 100 days since the relevant Royal Commission findings, and the Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action are impatient for the government to accept the Commission’s recommendations.

READ MORE: One year on: Fireys focused on lessons learnt at Cobraball

“The government has only “noted” or announced its “in principle” support for many recommendations,” said BSCA president Jo Dodds.

“Bushfire survivors, emergency workers and volunteers deserve clear answers, detailed timelines and transparent budgets for every recommendation, as has been the case with previous Royal Commissions.”

The BSCA was founded after the Tathra and District fire in March 2018, but its concerns would be shared by Central Queensland residents who have been impacted by fires, most recently around the Cobraball fires of 2019.

The action group describes its members as people who lost their “homes, communities, loved ones and peace of mind” in bushfires.

“(We are) people who’ve fought fires as RFS or other volunteers, community leaders concerned about the impact and growing risks of bushfires and primary producers who’ve watched stock and wildlife impacted by bushfires and their after-effects.”

In particular, BSCA is calling for clarity on Recommendation 4.5: “Australian, state and territory governments should produce downscaled climate projections”.

“The Royal Commission is clear that climate change is contributing to more frequent fires, and we can expect more in the future,” Ms Dodds said.

“And yet, the Federal Government is unclear on its response to this critical recommendation, and is dragging its feet on reducing emissions at the scale and pace required by the science.”

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