Jacinta Allan calls for calm as CFA says fireys ‘are hurting’

1 month ago 14

Premier Jacinta Allan has called for calm as the state’s Country Fire Authority (CFA) chief said his volunteers were hurting after the number of homes torched in the weekend’s fires continues to climb.

The premier was forced to defend the state’s bushfire preparedness on Wednesday, arguing long grass by the Hume Freeway would have made little difference during last Friday’s catastrophic conditions after The Age revealed vegetation on the roadside near the Longwood blaze was longer than CFA guidelines recommend.

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan and PM Anthony Albanese tour the fire-ravaged town of Harcourt in Victoria on Sunday.

Allan said that, as someone affected by the Harcourt fire, she well knew how much fire preparedness had been carried out across the state.

“I think it’s important to reflect on that and ensure that we are not causing additional alarm or concern to communities,” she said.

CFA chief officer Jason Heffernan said destruction is almost certain and lives are likely to be lost if a fire takes hold on a catastrophic day.

“You could mow your lawn quite short, and under those conditions – the dryness, the winds – the fire would still cross it. And that’s what in fact we did see,” Heffernan said.

He said he had raised the issue of prolific grass growth with state and local authorities in November after heavy rains, and that further slashing was done as a result. Grass was drying out faster than normal because of the heat, he said.

“So again, that elevates those risks.”

Asked whether more could have been done to be prepared, Heffernan said fires under those conditions were not stoppable unless they are suppressed at the very early stages.

“We had over 200 fires … out of those, 12 became major fires. So there were successes,” Heffernan said, warning there were many weeks left of the fire season that typically peaks in February.

“I’m speaking to our volunteers on a daily basis. They’re hurting,” he said. “They’re hurting.”

Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch on Wednesday said 228 homes across Victoria had been destroyed in total and another 15 were damaged.

He warned affected communities they may notice an increase in smoke in the coming days, but said this was due to controlled burns to bring fires under control.

Nationals leader Danny O’Brien, also the opposition spokesman for emergency services and roads, on Wednesday said vegetation had not been adequately managed.

“I’m not saying for a moment that the government has caused this,” O’Brien said.

“But [the] government could be doing more, and we know that there needs to be more slashing, more management of our roads. We’re not seeing it.”

Allan, speaking from Castlemaine, insisted she was speaking with communities after being heckled at a press conference in Alexandra on Tuesday by a woman who claimed the CFA was underfunded, and then leaving through the back door.

“Shame on you, shame on your government for what you’ve done,” the woman said, according to Nine News.

“I accept that there are communities that have been impacted and are grieving and are traumatised, and I will continue to provide support. I’ll continue to listen to those communities,” Allan said on Wednesday.

“I met with residents of the local community in Alexandra, community members who I had the opportunity to thank for the way they supported their community, and I’ll continue to do that.”

The Hume Freeway near Longwood on Sunday.

The premier also announced further support packages for those affected by the fires.

Residents who have been without power for more than seven days will be able to access a priority power-outage program, which will provide $2380 per week, for up to three weeks.

Primary producers will also be eligible for up to $75,000 in grants to help them clean up after the fires.

“This is prime agricultural land, and our primary producers have been badly affected, which is why we are also providing funding for an initial, and I again emphasise, the initial allocation of $40 million means that if we need to provide more funding, we will for primary-producer recovery grants,” Allan said.

“The next part of the package is about providing concessional loans of up to $250,000 for primary producers, again, recognising that there’s a lot of asset here that’s being damaged, and there’s that longer-term support. These concessional loans are about providing that longer-term support.”

Federal Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain announced support for sole traders in the form of up to 13 weeks income, eligible for traders across 18 local government regions and one alpine resort region.

“That is payment that we made through Services Australia. And you can go on to the Services Australia website to understand eligibility,” McBain said.

Wiebusch said he hoped that thunderstorm activity forecast for Wednesday afternoon would bring rain to the fire grounds. The Natimuk fire was brought under control overnight.

“That said, we still have 10 watch and act, and 19 advice messages that are in the landscape, so that is a reduced number of warnings from yesterday. But I can’t appeal enough again if you’re living in and around some of those fires that are still active, please, please stay tuned to those emergency warnings for the latest information, and they’ll also have information on updates around road closures as well.”

Wiebusch advised water in the Harcourt area was not yet drinkable, but could be used for showers and toilets.

Allan confirmed the Bendigo train line, which was damaged in the fires, was now back up and running.

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