The Greens welcome the Premiers commitment in parliament today that the external review into this summers wildfires that burnt over 100,000 hectares of precious Tasmanian landscapes is conducted publicly.
It is imperative when evaluating emergency responses to draw on the vital knowledge of community members, walkers, and botanists about the natural and cultural values of impacted landscapes, but it’s also crucial we learn from past inquiries.
Implementing key outstanding recommendations of past reviews is also crucial to improving emergency responses and protecting integral values of our wild places. After the 2016 and 2019/20 bushfires there were inquiries that made a variety of recommendations, some of which still have not been completed or funded.
The top recommendation of the 2016 Senate Committee inquiry into that summer bushfires was to ensure the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA) is on the World Heritage Committee’s annual State of Conservation reporting cycle – it has recently dropped off which is hugely concerning.
As the Premier charged with overseeing the protection of the highest valued World Heritage Site on this planet, Jeremy Rockcliff must urgently prioritise requesting the new Federal Environment Minister to place our TWWHA back on the State of Conservation reporting cycle.
State of Conservation reporting is critical to ensure the protection of the universally outstanding natural and cultural values of the TWWHA, particularly as we are facing the effects of a warming planet. It will take a global effort to make our wild places safe and this summer’s wildfires have highlighted that yet again.
Protection of the TWWHA through fast and effective responses to wildfire is crucial for the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area but as the fires of 2019 showed us, the health of Tasmanian communities also depend on how wildfires in the TWWHA are fought.
We look forward to working with the government to ensure the TWWHA, the jewel in Tasmania’s crown and the foundation of our global brand, is returned to the annual State of Conservation reporting cycle and that the wildfire inquiry is public and that its recommendations are fully implemented and funded.
