Disturbing reading, as Coroner Hinchey seems to accept the reports, etc, from DELWP, Inspector General for Emergency Management (IGEM) and Emergency Management Commissioner as suitable and sufficient evidence on which to determine that an Inquest into the fire was not required.
For a fire that caused, and continues to cause enormous personal financial and emotional hardship to those who lost homes, and cost to the broader community to ostensibly make Wye River–Separation Creek safe in the aftermath of the fire, including works to prevent landslip closing the Great Ocean Road, reading much of the Decision I'm reminded of the adage "caesar judging caesar". In this case the Coroner appears to endorse "caesar's" conclusions.
One example:
In the introduction on page 1 Her Honour draws on the IGEM's description of the land involved. Did she test this herself?
Paragraph 41 on page 8:
... for the purpose of investigating the fire and determining whether to hold an Inquest, I have received additional materials from Emergency Management Victoria (EMV) and DELWP. I also toured by vehicle, on foot and in the air, the area in which the fire ignited and subsequently burned.
Did Her Honour actually walk in the area where the fire started on 19 December 2015 identified in my blog postings of 20 March "Wye River–Separation Creek bushfire — in pursuit of the truth" and 28 March 2017 "Wye River–Separation Creek bushfire — lightning strike and what to look for"? I had no difficulty reaching and walking around in that area.
Maybe Her Honour was never taken to the area of the lightning strike.
I'll leave it to the reader to find other examples.
Surely the people directly involved and all Victorians for that matter deserve better, if for no other reason than to avoid a similar situation at some future time. The vulnerability of Kennett River just down the road from Wye River comes to mind.
The following three photos from my blog posting of 21 February 2016 "Obfuscation, sanitising, cabinet-in-confidence documents, burying, leaking — examples of some of the processes of government" are before and after the Christmas Day fire. The dwelling 'was' on the north-eastern side of Dunoon Road, Wye River. Plate 2 shows the vegetation on private land below this and other dwellings lost in that area.
In that posting I mentioned the 'tools' available to at least reduce the threat to exposed buildings along Dunoon Road. Add to those 'tools' the provisions of sections 225, 226, 227 and 227A Local Government Act 1989. Disturbingly fascinating how this has been ignored in the re-establishment of Wye River–Separation Creek at great and unnecessary cost to those seeking to rebuild that could be avoided if council, the CFA Board and Chief Officer effectively addressed their fire prevention responsibilities.
Now, 'kicking the bushfire management or should I say bushfire mismanagement can' a bit further down the road to Kennett River. The first four photographs are of dwellings on the southern side of Cassidy Drive.
Nothing remarkable about these and other dwellings along Cassidy Drive and they are as vulnerable to bushfire attack as were those lost along Dunoon Road and elsewhere in Wye River–Separation Creek. However, there is one significant difference in the environments — the land on the other or northern side of Cassidy Drive is zoned PUBLIC CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE ZONE (PCRZ) in the Colac Otway Planning Scheme, thus the responsibility of DELWP.
Plates 8-10 show the bushfire fuel along the northern side of Cassidy Drive on 7 July 2017 and it's not hard to imagine the loss of dwellings across the other side of Cassidy Drive and deeper into Kennett River as fire runs towards them under weather conditions similar to Christmas Day 2015.
Earlier this year DELWP conducted a fuel reduction in the forest between Wye River and Kennett River. Part of the results of that burn photographed from Cassidy Drive is visible through the trees in Plate 11.
Plate 12 is the view generally west along Kennett Road, which is the next road towards Wye River from Cassidy Drive. Also photographed on 7 July 2017, visible at right of the road is the result of the fuel reduction burn. At the left side of the road the vegetation remained untouched up to Cassidy Drive in the area of land shown in Plates 8-10.
Plate 13 brings the Cassidy Drive photos together on a Google Earth photo of the broader area.
DELWP's Code of practice for bushfire management on public land places a high priority on asset protection, obviously being neglected at Cassidy Drive. And what does the Colac Otway Municipal Fire Prevention Plan say about this part of Kennett River or is the shire ignoring the loss potential and willing to abandon the people involved to the same fate as Wye River–Separation Creek?
More than one way to fuel reduce for example brushcutters and cart away, community participation from those at risk. Seems to be something seriously amiss with fire management on public land in this part of Victoria. Maybe DELWP should look at this situation on the ground rather than rely on computer fire-modelling.
ROLE OF THE CORONER
In my next posting Improving bushfire management ... a missed opportunity Part 2 I will discuss the role of the Coroner. Some preparation for those interested Coroners Act 2008.
Food for thought the preamble in the Coroners Act:
The coronial system of Victoria plays an important role in Victorian society. That role involves the independent investigation of deaths and fires for the purpose of finding the causes of those deaths and fires and to contribute to the reduction of the number of preventable deaths and fires and the promotion of public health and safety and the administration of justice.
This role will be enhanced by creating a Coroners Court and setting out the role of the Coroners Court and the coronial system and the procedures for coronial investigations.
