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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 11 Hansard (26 September) . . Page.. 3648 ..

Current legislation does not have provisions that clearly prescribe requirements or assign accountability for bushfire fuel management. As a result, the management practices within the ACT have tended to rely on the legislative provisions that apply to the suppression of bushfires and have not specifically addressed the management of bushfire fuels as a prevention or mitigation strategy. Reliance on suppression measures only is not sustainable, as the Glenn report clearly indicates.

Mr Speaker, the Government has accepted the recommendations of the Glenn Report and is setting about implementing them. Those actions which require legislative amendment are being introduced today, but legislation alone will not achieve the purpose of prevention of bush fires and minimising their impact.

This Bushfire (Amendment) Bill will add provisions to the Bushfire Act 1936 to make it compulsory for managers of bushfire-prone Government land to prepare bushfire fuel management plans and then ensure that the area is used by the agency in accordance with the relevant bushfire fuel management plan.

The Bill describes the requirements for such plans and provides consultation, approving and reporting arrangements. It also includes a provision that the bushfire fuel management plan has no effect where it is inconsistent with any Plan of Management under the Land (Planning and Environment) Act 1991 in respect of an area of public land.

Public consultation in relation to draft bushfire fuel management plans and then the availability of completed plan for inspection are also important requirements contained in the Bill.

In addition, agencies will be required to account for their operations against the relevant bushfire fuel management plan in their annual report.

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