Wednesday, 1 April 2026

 Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (12:56): (2288) My constituency question is for the Minister for Environment. Forest Fire Management Victoria have commenced their planned burns across the state, including in my own electorate of Northern Victoria. Despite the government’s continued claims that this is done to reduce bushfire risk, time and time again studies have shown that planned burns increase wind, dry out forests and exacerbate the likelihood and severity of catastrophic fires. There are also grave concerns about the proximity of planned burns to known endangered species habitat, and like all of their actions, FFMV are conducting these burns without any real or independent oversight. Can the minister confirm forest fire management have fulfilled their requirements under state and federal legislation for actions affecting listed threatened species when conducting planned burns in Northern Victoria?