Hazard reduction burns are 'not the panacea': RFS boss, page-98

We will never ever stop bush fires as there will always be retards that light them. Removing fallen timber and undergrowth is not really a real option as much of the bushland is inaccessible...any areas picked clean would be too small to have any benefit.

Collecting timber and scraps from the roadside may have a small benefit as it would remove larger tinder that could catch from the inevitable errant cigarette butt.
What needs to be created is a proper grid like system with decent fire breaks crisscrossing the landscape at intervals. The fire breaks would need to be maintained and be a part of the overall land management plan.
These intervals could even be 200kms apart or more.
The fire breaks would also give wild life a chance to survive as those that can move could take shelter either on the fire break or on the other side.
I mean firebreaks of at least 40 metres wide, not come piddly goat track.

The cost to do this may be high initially but the savings would be huge over time. What is the cost of what is happening now? Billions of dollars in lost lives, property, productivity and man hours year on year.

Areas that do not have human settlements would be done first then outer areas without population the grids could be bigger.
That way a fire could be left to burn itself out if need be, with the fire breaks patrolled to extinguish any fires jumping the breaks.

Even, "shock horror", open the fire breaks to recreational 4wd use to help keep growth down and fallen trees in check! Currently the Parks and Wildlife erect gates and lock them to prevent access to fire tracks leaving them to get overgrown.

Maybe even allowing 4wd owners and clubs to do club runs through fire breaks near populated areas and pay a small reward for fallen trees cut and pushed aside.

Of course we will see no new initiatives...nothing will be done...just the same old garbage bun fight about who owns what and what "compensation" the useless bloated State Governments can bleed from the Federal Government.

Then there will be the next bout of fires with lives and homes lost with the same old same old all over again.

Stupid is as stupid does...