Victorian bushfires: East Gippsland MP Tim Bull’s mega fire season warning

A rural MP has warned Victoria is at risk after the state government’s “failure” to conduct even half the required burn offs, resulting in record fuel loads.

East Gippsland MP Tim Bull says the state is in danger of bushfires. Picture: Valencia Creek CFA

Nationals MPs have claimed the state government failed to prepare for the upcoming bushfire season, warning it will end in “mega fires” raging across Victoria.

East Gippsland MP Tim Bull said the state government had only conducted less than half of the required burn offs, resulting in record fuel loads.

“It is the only element of the bushfire triangle we can control and it’s an area that we’re not controlling to the level that is required,” Mr Bull said.

“It can only end one way. There is no other way it can end, and that is with mega fires.

“We need to review that system.”

Mr Bull said the burn-off system needs to be reviewed.

Mr Bull said the government had failed to learn from the catastrophic 2019/20 wildfires.

“We are not safer. We are more at risk and we are more vulnerable,” he said.

But Emergency Services Minister Jaclyn Symes hosed down those concerns, insisting that experts determine when and where burn offs can be conducted.

“Forest Fire Management have been very active in this space,” she said.

“They respond to the risk and they have been managing the forest actively since the last fire period.”

Ms Symes said warnings had been in place for weeks about an early start to the fire season.

“It’s the exact area that we’ve been saying for several weeks is the most high risk in the state of Victoria,” she said.

“An extremely dry winter means that an early fire season has an impact on the driest parts of the state and that’s what we’re seeing in Gippsland right now.”

Outside parliament on Tuesday, Greens MP Ellen Sandell said climate change was to blame for the blazes.

East Gippsland MP Tim Bull. Picture: Supplied

“It is terrifying to see these fires raging so early in the year so early in the season,” she said.

“Let’s be clear these are fires fuelled by climate change, and climate change is fuelled by coal and gas. Here in Victoria, Labor is continuing to open new coal and gas projects.”

Mr Bull hit back, stating: “It’s really disappointing that while we have communities at risk, we have the Greens Party out here stating that climate is a major cause”.

“Climate change is a factor but let’s not make a mistake about this, the key here is record fuel loads that have been allowed to build up in the bush, particularly after the 2019/20 fires,” he said.

“The only thing we can control is the fuel loads, and while we have a warming climate, we are doing less than half the amount of fuel reduction burning under this government that we were under the previous one.”