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Parliamentary Questions


Question On Notice No. 566 asked in the Legislative Council on 23 February 2022 by Hon Dr Brad Pettitt

Question Directed to the: Minister for Emergency Services representing the Minister for Environment
Parliament: 41 Session: 1


Question

(1) Will the Minister provide the following information in relation to bushfires and prescribed burning in Western Australia, in tabular form:
(a) for each of the past three years, the fire prevention works completed on unallocated Crown land and unmanaged reserves in all regions (as defined by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA)) broken down by the following, including totals for each type:
(i) fire break access and maintenance (km);
(ii) scrub rolling/slashing and vegetation modification (km);
(iii) open-edge burning (km); and
(iv) block burning (ha);
(b) for each of the past three years, the prescribed burns carried out for all DBCA regions broken down by the following categories, including annual totals for each:
(i) indigenous vegetation by land category with total – hand burning (ha);
(ii) indigenous vegetation by land category with total – aerial burning (ha);
(iii) indigenous vegetation by forest type with total – silvicultural burning (ha); and
(iv) softwood plantation according to objective with total – burning (ha);
(c) for each of the past three years, the area and number of prescribed burns carried out for all DBCA regions including the overall total area and number for each year;
(d) for each of the past three years, the area and number of bushfires attended and monitored by DBCA for all DBCA regions broken down by the following types, including annual totals for each:
(i) state forest (native hardwood and softwood plantation);
(ii) national parks;
(iii) nature reserves;
(iv) other DBCA reserves;
(v) other Crown land;
(vi) private property; and
(vii) unallocated Crown land;
(e) for each of the past three years, the number and per cent by cause of bushfires attended and monitored by DBCA for all DBCA regions broken down by the following types, including annual totals for each:
(i) deliberately/illegally lit;
(ii) escapes - DBCA burns;
(iii) escapes - non-DBCA burning;
(iv) accidental - timber industry;
(v) accidental - other industries;
(vi) accidental - recreationists;
(vii) lightning;
(viii) unknown; and
(ix) other causes;
(f) for each of the past three years, the area burnt in each of the escapes from DBCA prescribed burns:
(i) within each of the three south-west forest regions, by region and as a whole;
(ii) within each of the other regions; and
(iii) in total; and
(g) for the year 2020-21, the area and number of bushfires attended and monitored by DBCA for all DBCA regions broken down by the following, including the totals for each region and for each category:
(i) forest (native hardwood and softwood plantation);
(ii) national parks;
(iii) nature reserves;
(iv) other DBCA reserves;
(v) other Crown land;
(vi) private property; and
(vii) unallocated Crown land?
(2) Will the Minister provide the following information in relation to bushfires and prescribed burning within the three south-west forest regions (as defined by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA)) for the year 2020-21, in tabular form:
(a) the area and number of prescribed burns carried out in each land category (as classified by DBCA), including the total area and total number of prescribed burns:
(i) in each land category (as classified by DBCA); and
(ii) the total area and total number;
(b) the area burned in each region by prescribed burns broken down by the following:
(i) dominant purpose;
(ii) area by season (ha);
(iii) grand total by season (ha);
(iv) seasonal (per cent); and
(v) grand total (ha);
(c) the number of prescribed burns carried out in each region broken down by:
(i) dominant purpose;
(ii) season;
(iii) method of ignition (aerial and hand);
(iv) number and area (ha) of escapes; and
(v) total number of burns;
(d) the number and area of silvicultural burns, broken down by:
(i) jarrah dominant forests;
(ii) karri, karri and marri, and marri forests; and
(iii) other forests;
(e) the number and area of softwood plantation burns, broken down by:
(i) strategic protection;
(ii) clearing burn; and
(iii) logging debris removal and silviculture;
(f) the area and number of bushfires attended and monitored by DBCA broken down by the following, including the total area and numbers for each region and each category:
(i) state forest;
(ii) state forest - native hardwood;
(iii) state forest - softwood plantation;
(iv) national parks;
(v) nature reserves;
(vi) other DBCA reserves;
(vii) other Crown land;
(viii) private property; and
(ix) unallocated Crown land; and
(g) the number and per cent by cause of bushfires attended and monitored by DBCA broken down by the following, including the total number and per cent for each cause:
(i) deliberately/illegally lit;
(ii) escapes - DBCA burns;
(iii) escapes - non-DBCA burns;
(iv) accidental - timber industry;
(v) accidental - other industries;
(vi) accidental - recreationists;
(vii) lightning;
(viii) unknown; and
(ix) other causes?

Answered on 23 March 2022

I am advised that the information requested is not readily available from a central repository, and will require significant resources to collect and collate the information from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Department of Fire and Emergency Services and local government authorities. Therefore, this information cannot be provided within the required timeframe, especially given fire response commitments in the current southern bushfire season.