Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation welcomes report into Fraser Island fires

The Fraser Coast’s Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation wants to see changes made to island management.

The burnt aftermath of the bush fire on world heritage listed Fraser Island. Photo: Lyndon Mechielsen.

The Fraser Coast’s Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation (BAC) has welcomed the IGEM Fraser Island review report

Fraser Island, also known by the Indigenous Australian name K’Gari, had 87 000 hectares of land burnt by the bushfires which ravaged the Island at the end of 2020.

BAC General Manager Veronica Bird made a lengthy submission to the Review Team and was happy some BAC recommendations were incorporated into the final report.

Butchulla community involvement was identified in five which included collaborative review of fire lines, tracks and trails the island, the review of the Interagency Protocol for Fire Management, engagement to source data to inform predictive services products and the expansion of the K’gari Locality Specific Fire Management Group to include representatives of the Butchulla people.

“We particularly welcome that the BAC will be involved in the prescribed burn program and Fire Management practices with the Department of science, progressing the reintroduction of cultural burns to K’gari,” Ms Bird said.

“We want to see our cool, cultural or mosaic burns reintroduced to the island as a management tool reducing the potential for bushfires. That way, we protect the future health and meet our cultural responsibility, for K’gari.”

Ms Bird said the BAC looks forward to a formal briefing on adopting the review’s recommendations as it progresses co-management arrangements on the island.

The Corporation has been working with island stakeholders at Eurong, Happy Valley, and Kingfisher Bay by reviewing fire management plans.

“We hope that the review will enable Queensland Fire and Emergency Services and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service to avoid future bushfire disasters on K’gari,” Ms Bird said.

Originally published as Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation welcomes report into Fraser Island fires