Current e-Petitions for the Legislative Council

Prescribed Burning

Eligibility : Residents of Western Australia Only

To the President and Members of the Legislative Council of the Parliament of Western Australia in Parliament assembled. We the undersigned ...

We the undersigned strongly oppose the current prescribed burning policy and practices used by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA). Southwest Western Australia has just suffered the driest summer on record with widespread vegetation death, yet DBCA continues to conduct prescribed burns, putting more pressure on already stressed native forests and other ecosystems. Most prescribed burning is occurring in low priority areas, far from human settlement and provides little protection from bushfires while destroying huge areas of natural heritage. Current research conclusively shows that DBCA’s prescribed burning practices are out of date and destructive. Support and trust in the WA Government and DBCA’s prescribed burning policy has been diminished by multiple refusals to conduct an independent scientific review, as requested by the community, scientists and the EPA, as well as an almost complete lack of public consultation, transparency, independent monitoring and assessment.
We therefore ask the Legislative Council to instruct DBCA to-
• Adopt and fund new early detection and rapid suppression technology to quickly extinguish bushfires.
• Place a moratorium on long unburnt, fire-intolerant and fire-sensitive species and communities like Peats, Granites, Wandoo and Tingles until a management policy and a network of fire exclusion zones are developed to conserve these areas and provide adequate fauna habitat refuges to maintain biodiversity.
• Abandon the current prescribed burning policy of igniting 200,000 hectares per year in southwest WA and develop a modern, strategic, risk-based management policy that protects life, property and assets and minimises the impacts on native species and their habitats.

And your petitioners as in duty bound, will ever pray.