Bushfire preparedness
Rikkie-Lee TYRRELL (Northern Victoria) (18:40): (1881) My adjournment this evening is for the Minister for Environment. The action I seek is for the minister to allow Victorians to help with fuel reduction activities in state forests and to implement recommendation 7 of the Climate Resilience report tabled on 12 August 2025. To anyone who has ever set foot in our forests, it is hard to deny that they are overgrown and in disarray. You can barely walk a step into the forest without seeing a fallen tree or branch littering the ground. This is causing huge concern for residents in nearby communities. They are watching the ever-growing threat of bushfire accumulating on forest floors. They not only want to help reduce the threat of fire but to help new growth that is currently suffocated under the deadfall. By helping with fire reduction activities, constituents can also reduce their costs for heating and cooking. To my constituents, this is a win-win situation.
Deadfall removal is an efficient and cost-effective way to achieve fuel reduction targets. Allowing constituents to perform fuel reduction activities will lessen the workload on the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action. Considering the government reportedly plans to reduce the number of DEECA staff by 350 in the coming months, allowing Victorians to conduct fuel reduction activities will be seen as a rational decision by the government. The action I seek is for the minister to allow Victorians to help with fuel reduction activities in state forests and to implement recommendation 7 of the Climate Resilience report tabled on 12 August 2025.