David Van (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yesterday I rose in this place to express our condolences to those who suffered loss in the recent devastating bushfires and to thank those who have done so much and worked so hard to combat them. That was not the time for partisan debate or expressing outrage on the circumstances surrounding such tragedy but rather a time for sombre reflection or for rolling up our sleeves or for both. There was a time, and there still is, to lean in, to lend a hand, to do what you can to help your neighbour, whether that is through volunteering, donating or, at the very least, not getting in the way of those doing their job.

Yet it seems the first instinct of many was simply to take to social media and have a whinge. To use a time of tragedy for political purposes is not what I think of when I think of the Australian spirit, a spirit so gallantly shown by our first responders, those supporting them and the victims.

I've been deeply saddened since these bushfires started by the ill-informed commentary around the cause. This statement is my part to set the record straight. Bushfires are, and have always been, an intrinsic part of the Australian environment. As numerous scientific sources point out, including Geoscience Australia, our natural ecosystems have evolved with fire. The landscape, along with our biological diversity, has been shaped by both historic and recent fires. Many of Australia's native plants are fire-prone and very combustible, while numerous species depend on fire to regenerate. Indeed, as part of my university studies in horticulture, we did a study on the regeneration of the Australian bush post the Ash Wednesday bushfires and the blackwood forests that burnt as part of the Trentham East complex. The recovery was amazing, and I saw similar recovery near Buchan last week.

Recent commentary from many quarters, including some in this chamber, seems to forget this very nature of the Australian environment and the long history of bushfire in it. Simply put, our landscape, almost no matter where you are, is prone to bushfires—indeed, we are more prone to significant bushfires in south-eastern Australia, where my home state lies. For centuries, fire has been created in Australia's landscape through acts of nature such as lightning strikes, through acts of people such as our First Nations people clearing the undergrowth, or through accidental means such as machinery failure. We have had significant fires in Victoria, including the Black Thursday fires in 1851, Black Friday in 1939, Ash Wednesday in 1983 and Black Saturday in 2009. They have tested us before.

The bushfires this summer have spread over seven states and territories, burnt over 19 million hectares and, sadly, claimed 34 lives. So, when I hear these fires being described as unprecedented, the worst ever, or the most destructive in Australia's history, I ask: how can they be any worse than the tragedy of 173 lives lost in Black Saturday or the 117 million hectares burnt across Central Australia that were lost in the 1974 bushfire season? Life, regardless of the number lost, is always precious.

As I reflected yesterday, in each of these fires, Australians have suffered significant personal and community losses. The stories of anguish and heartbreak are not dissimilar to the ones we're hearing now from around the nation. I believe we should ensure that, by comparing these past tragedies with current events, we do not discount what has happened, either in the past or recent weeks. Rather, we should understand in a measured way the context in which they occur—that context being, as I said earlier, that Australia is prone to bushfire. Some of the ill-informed commentary seems to forget this. They claim climate change was the sole cause of these fires or that most of these fires were deliberately lit. Others claim that poor land management practices led to a lack of hazard reduction burning or that there was some conspiracy to make Australia burn. So let us be clear when we examine these claims.

Firstly, conspiracy theories are an absolute nonsense. They're amplified by the contagion of poor social media commentary. Secondly, arson did not start these fires. In fact, arson is behind only approximately 10 per cent of bushfires annually. The majority of this season's bushfires have been started by natural causes, mostly lightning. Thirdly, climate change is a contributor to these fires but not the cause of them. Rather, the challenges it creates for our environment and the weather can exacerbate the occurrence, extent and nature of fire in the landscape.

Fourthly, land management practices have evolved over a very long period of time. A mixture of efforts needs to be undertaken to reduce bushfire threat. These are not just hazard reduction burning but also managed grazing, clearing land to create fire abatement zones, the use of Indigenous burning practices, and the removal of weed and pest species that can exacerbate fire risk. Other strategies might include learning to live with new conditions by building homes in the right areas and ensuring towns have more than one road in and out. These, I should note, were recommendations of the Black Saturday royal commission. As the Prime Minister has said, hazard reduction is as important as emissions reduction, because it has an even more direct, practical impact on the safety of a person going into a bushfire season.

It saddens me that, instead of focusing on the needs of our citizens, people have sought to capitalise on people's loss and pain purely for political gain. To me, it reflects wilful denial of our federal system, how the federal government best supports states and territories in times of disasters, and how quickly it can move in the event should circumstances warrant it. Under the Commonwealth Constitution the states and territories have the responsibility for responding to various disasters. The action taken by the Morrison government to initiate a comprehensive federal response was actually unprecedented in Australia's history.

For the Twitterati to criticise this Prime Minister and this government for not acting is completely ludicrous. They are holding this government to a standard that has never been expected of a federal government before in the history of this great nation. People who have built fear and anger in the community by politicising the bushfires should be ashamed of themselves. Times of disaster and crisis should be when leaders should be standing shoulder to shoulder to bring the country together, not to tear it apart. I'm pleased to say that the federal and state leadership teams did stand shoulder to shoulder and did what was needed to be done at this time of need.

We're a government that does rather than just talks. This government has been actively supporting the states and territories in bushfire response through Emergency Management Australia since the fires occurred in Queensland and New South Wales during September last year. The ongoing support provided has been measured and responsive to the individual needs of state and territory. Across affected areas of Australia our Defence Force personnel have been embedded to ensure that support from the Commonwealth is appropriately targeted to local areas.

Finally, throughout these fires, there have been countless stories of heroism and sacrifice, people's selflessness, and the community's commitment and generosity in supporting those impacted by the fires. Lessons will be learnt. A new generation of volunteers will emerge, and the resilience of Australians will be strengthened from this experience. It is one of the strengths of our people and it should never be dismissed, nor should it be shouted down by those who seek to take advantage of such events.