Thursday, 28 November 2024

Eastern Victoria Region

Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (14:09): (1304) (1304) 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. My question to the minister is: can you guarantee that Eastern Victoria Region will have sufficient firefighting aircraft coverage this fire season?