Eastern Victoria Region
Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (14:09): My constituency question is for the Minister for Environment. As part of fire preparedness and fire mitigation measures, the bushfire royal commission recommended a 5 per cent rolling target of fuel reduction burning and mechanical reduction in a mosaic pattern. Under Labor’s flawed Safer Together policy, over the last 12 months there has been less than 1.4 per cent achieved. With an above-average bushfire season forecast and high fuel loads in my Eastern Victoria Region last week I met with constituents in Gippsland, and they discussed a whole range of issues, including those mosaic burns. One of our concerns is about what toolkit the government has, and if it is adequate. So my question to the minister is: can you guarantee that Eastern Victoria Region will have sufficient firefighting aircraft coverage this fire season?