www.ThePhoenix.com.au
News Up to $½m
■ Victorian Community Support Grants of up to $500,000 are available for 'Strengthening Communities' These grants will provide funding to organisations, networks and partnerships to implement projects that will advance the interests of their communities. Community driven projects that create opportunities for people to develop skills and leadership abilities, connect or build on existing resources and investments and encourage greater participation and increased diversity of participants can be supported.
By-pass
● Tim Pallas ■ Works have started om the $15 million Yarra Glen Truck Bypass. Victorian Roads and Ports Minister Tim Pallas said that works had begun on the project to redirect truck traffic from the Melba Hwy away from Bell St via a new truck route to the east of the town. Each day more than 9000 vehicles, including 1200 trucks, travel on Bell St through Yarra Glen. The total project is scheduled for completion by late 2010.
Pipeline ■ Another huge pipeline is about the built in Victoria. Victorian-based company Tyco Water was awarded a $150 million contract to build 84 kilometres of pipe for Victoria’s Desalination Project. Tyco Water will build the pipe at its Somerton factory creating 50 new jobs and securing 50 existing jobs, while BlueScope Steel will provide the majority of steel for the pipes protecting around 900 jobs at its Hastings facility.
The Phoenix - Monday, September 14, 2009 - Page 19
‘GREENIES’ SAY CLEARING WILL NOT STOP CATASTROPHE
Phoenix Latest New ‘Code Red’ alerts
‘NO SILVER BULLET’
■ Prescribed burns did not significantly slow the spread of bushfire in the catastrophic conditions of Black Saturday, states a new report. The report was commissioned by the Australian Conservation Foundation, the Wilderness Society and the Victorian National Park Association. The report analyses the driving influences of the February 7 fires and looks at how the fires passed through and affected different areas of land. It was submitted last week to the Royal Commission. “Conservation groups support the use of science-based prescribed burns to help protect people, properties and the environment. “We need to be strategic about fire management and ensure planned burns are done at the right time and in the right place,” VNPA spokeswoman Megan Clinton said. “However, the evidence in this report suggests prescribed burns are not a silver bullet solution to protecting human lives because the effectiveness of fuel-reduction burning is significantly reduced on days of catastrophic fire weather such as those experienced on Black Saturday. “To protect human lives this fire season, we need to focus on effective early warnings, clear community understanding of the stay or go policy and the 51 recommendations in the Royal Commission’s interim report.” Richard Hughes from The Wilderness Society says it would be dangerous to give people a false sense of security that a sole focus on prescribed burning and vegetation clearing will protect lives and property. “When the Fire Danger Index is
below 50, controlled burning is an effective bushfire management tool. However, the report suggests when the FDI is above 50 – such as during the Black Saturday fires when it reached between 120 and 190 – controlled burns have a vastly reduced effectiveness,” he said. “On Black Saturday, maps of the severity and spread of the fires show that an extensive proportion of the burnt area was private land where native vegetation had been removed or significantly reduced. “This suggests vegetation clearance, including firebreaks, will not prevent the spread of fires under catastrophic weather conditions and should only be considered as one part of a broader fire management strategy.” ACF’s Lindsay Hesketh said fire management also needed to take account of climate change. “Climate change is having a significant influence on the extent of droughts, maximum temperatures, decreased hu-
midity levels and low moisture content of native vegetation and pastoral lands; all major influences on the intensity of bushfire behaviour,” he said. “CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology tell us parts of Victoria will face up to 65 per cent more days of extreme fire risk by 2020, and 230 per cent more by mid-century. “We need to protect all Victorians by working with, not against our environment, and this means finding ways to improve nature’s resilience to firestorms and climate change.” In light of this report, the groups are calling for the Royal Commission to conduct an evidence based investigation into the effectiveness of various fire management tools, including prescribed burning and land management, and how they protect lives, property and the environment. The report is available for download at www.vnpa.org.au and has been submitted to the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission.
10/30 RULE BECOMES LAW
■ The State Government’s ‘10/30 right’ was gazetted late last week allowing landowners in bushfire prone areas to prepare their properties as part of their preparations for the upcoming bushfire season. Environment and Climate Change Minister Gavin Jennings said the amendments to the Victorian Planning Provision were now law and ready for landowners to use. “The aim of the Brumby Labor Gov-ernment’s ‘10/ 30 right’ is to make it simpler for residents to clear vegetation around their properties to reduce risks posed by bushfires,” Mr Jennings said. “In less than 45 days Victoria will face a bushfire season that looms as potentially worse than the season we have just experienced.
● Gavin Jennings
“We make no apologies for pushing ahead with practical changes to the planning provisions that clarify what landowners can do to protect their homes and properties so they are as ready as possible for the next fire season.” Mr Jennings said the ‘10/30 right’ allows landowners to clear vegetation, including trees, within 10 metres of their house and any ground fuel within 30 metres of their house ‘as of right’ (without a permit). The amendments also allow residents to clear all vegetation, including trees, for a combined maximum width of four metres either side of their property’s boundary fence provided they have the permission of the neighbouring landowner. The amendments apply across Victoria
except in 20 Melbourne metropolitan councils where vegetation clearing will continue to be limited by existing controls. “We are standing up for Victorians in bushfire prone areas because we want to do everything possible to help them prepare for the upcoming bushfire season,” Mr Jennings said. “Landowners are not obliged to remove any trees or vegetation under these amendments.” The amendments to the Victorian Planning Provision also include targeted planned roadside burns for high-risk areas and for people to be able to collect firewood ‘as of right’ from those roadside areas for two weeks prior to the burns,” he said. This firewood is for personal use only and can’t be sold.
● John Brumby ■ State Premier John Brumbylast week announced that Victoria was implementing a new national framework for fire warnings for the next bushfire season following an agreement by all Australian states and territories. Mr Brumby said the fire danger rating system would have a new category of ‘catastrophic’ (code red) to warn communities of the risk of fires that are unpredictable, uncontrollable and fast moving. “The task for all levels of Government, for communities and for individuals is to make the state and individuals as fire-safe as possible,” Mr Brumby said. “The new fire warnings system will provide the community with a better understanding of the level of bushfire threat on any given day based on the forecast weather conditions. “The Black Saturday bushfires on February 7 were an example of the types of fires that may be experienced under a ‘catastrophic’ (code red) rating. “For those who can’t ensure their own safety, advice provided to communities on a ‘catastrophic’ (code red) day will be that leaving early is the safest option. The new fire danger rating has been developed using the Fire Danger Index (FDI): • FDI 100 + is considered Catastrophic (code red) • FDI 75 – 99 is Extreme • FDI 50 – 74 is Severe • FDI 25 - 49 is Very High • FDI 12 – 24 is High • FDI 0 – 11 is Low - Moderate Mr Brumby said that in line with the Royal Commission’s recommendations there would be two types of warning categories for this bushfire season – a ‘watch and act’ message and an ‘emergency warning’. “Watch and act messages will advise communities that there is a heightened level of threat and that they need to stay informed and vigilant,” he said. “Emergency warning messages will alert the community that there is an imminent threat and immediate action is required to protect life.” Mr Brumby said a new slogan ‘Prepare, Act, Survive’ had also been agreed nationally and would be used this fire season. “The fire and emergency services will use ‘Prepare, Act, Survive’ to educate communities about what they need to do preparing and responding to bushfires.”
Courts at Healesville ■ Junior netballers across Healesville will soon be able to strut their stuff on new firstgrade quality courts, thanks to a $45,000 funding boost from the State Government, as well as money from the Yarra Ranges Council and local football-netball club. The Don Road Sporting Complex will be funded as part of the Country Football and Netball Program. Sports Minister James Merlino said Yarra Ranges Shire Council and the Healesville Football and Netball Club contributed to the $145,000 project, which will see the installation of two new outdoor acrylic netball courts.