Cassandra Fernando (Holt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week marked 16 years since Black Saturday, Australia's deadliest bushfire disaster. That tragic day is forever etched in our nation's memory. Fuelled by extreme heat, nearly 400 fires burned across Victoria. More than 19,000 CFA personnel responded, selflessly sacrificing their time and in some cases their lives to protect others. The devastation reached communities across the state, including suburbs once thought safe. Homes were lost even in our own community, in Narre Warren South.

While we have learned valuable lessons that have helped save lives, bushfire seasons are becoming more intense. We saw this with the Black Summer fires of 2019, the recent Los Angeles wildfires and this year's fires in the Grampians. Investments in data and aircraft are vital but they mean little without firefighters on the front line. I thank all firefighters in Holt, especially those at Hampton Park, Narre Warren, Clyde, Devon Meadows, Tooradin and Warneet-Blind Bight CFAs, for their dedication to protecting our community every single day.