Where should we be managing bushfire risk in Gippsland?

 The Gippsland Strategic Bushfire Management Plan (SBMP) is a new plan to manage bushfire risk on both public and private land, particularly about where efforts need to be focused to reduce the risk of bushfires to our communities. 

Peter West, who chairs the Gippsland Regional Strategic Bushfire Management Planning Committee said, “Our previous surveys have shown that what’s important to Gippsland communities when it comes to protection from bushfires is human life and wellbeing, and the natural environment. 

“People were also asked what they thought were the main barriers to people taking personal responsibility for reducing bushfire risk on their own land, and the most common responses were around lack of awareness, or thinking they were not at risk when they actually were. 

“So we need people to start thinking more about fuel management on private land. Fuel management includes things such as slashing, mowing and clearing; it’s not only about planned burning. 

“We are seeking feedback on Priority Fuel Management Areas (PFMAs) to help us understand what people in Gippsland think about fuel management on both public and private land. 

“There are a range of ways to approach this, and we need to consider the balance between reducing bushfire risk to individual dwellings, to whole localities, and to economic assets.

 “This feedback will help us with our bushfire management strategies, fuel management, community engagement and the prioritisation of government resources for Gippsland.

 “Information from these three surveys will inform the final Strategic Bushfire Management Plan, a draft of which will be released for public comment in July.”

 The survey, as well as reports of previous surveys, can be accessed at https://engage.vic.gov.au/bushfire-planning/gippsland

 The agencies working on Gippsland’s Strategic Bushfire Management Plan are Gippsland’s six shires, Country Fire Authority, Emergency Management Victoria and Forest Fire Management Victoria (which includes staff from DELWP and Parks Victoria).

 About Safer Together

Strategic Bushfire Management Planning is part of the Victorian Government’s Safer Together initiative.