The Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) has called for the development of a bushfire planning guideline specific to Queensland following the release of the Auditor-General’s report on Bushfire Prevention and Preparedness.
PIA’s Queensland President PIA Kate Isles said PIA supported the recommendations highlighting the need for further focus and action on disaster prevention.
“Planning is an important tool in effectively managing the rapid changes facing our community, in particular from natural hazards. Better decision-making through the planning framework can achieve more effective land use planning specifically in response to bushfire risk,” Ms Isles said.
“We continue to support the finding in the 2002 COAG report Natural Disasters in Australia - Reforming mitigation, relief and recovery arrangements which highlighted that land use planning that took account of natural hazard risks as the single most important mitigation measure in preventing future disaster losses in areas of new development.”
Ms Isles noted that while the focus of the Auditor-General’s report was on the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES), it is not only QFES which has responsibility for improving the preparedness for bushfire. The State Planning Policy and Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning’s (DSDIP) state-wide bushfire hazard mapping seek to ensure planning responses to bushfire hazard are addressed by local government planning schemes and development applications.
According to Queensland bushfire planning specialist and PIA Environmental Chapter Chair, Laura Gannon, the level of risk perception in Queensland as compared with other States is a real issue in identifying and accepting our level of bushfire risk exposure.
“Bushfire disaster can and most likely will occur in Queensland, so we must be prepared with prevention approaches to minimise potential impact on life, property and infrastructure,” Ms Gannon said.
“Shared responsibility across governments, organisations and communities is a critical element to disaster prevention. There is a real need for a bushfire planning guideline specific to Queensland, similar to the Planning for Bushfire Protection Guideline in place in New South Wales.
Such a guideline will assist planners to better understand and apply fundamental bushfire planning measures, which is of particular importance given our changing climate and the escalation in frequency and severity of bushfire events in Queensland.”
PIA urges both QFES and DSDIP to consider the benefits of such an instrument prepared in a collaborative arrangement with relevant industry stakeholders. PIA stands ready to assist in this process.
Media Contact: Dan Molloy, PIA Qld State Manager 0407 653 809