No doubt the climate change crazy will be the dissenting voice on the RC.The Governor-General has signed off on a royal commission into this summer's devastating bushfires, with a specific focus on preparedness for future bushfire seasons.
Key points:
- Leading environmental lawyer and former Federal Court Judge to join bushfires royal commission
- The royal commission will recommend how governments can better prepare and respond to bushfires
- The Prime Minister wants a final report handed to the Government by August 31, 2020
Two more commissioners, former Federal Court judge Annabelle Bennett and leading environmental lawyer Andrew Macintosh, will join former Australian Defence Force (ADF) chief Mark Binskin.
The trio are due to deliver their findings to the Federal Government by the end of August.
More than 30 people died across the country during the disaster, and thousands of homes were destroyed.
The ABC revealed earlier this month that hazard reduction would form a key part of the inquiry, after Prime Minister Scott Morrison demanded an investigation into whether backburning and land clearing operations had been hampered across the country.
Climate change, and specifically its effect of creating longer, hotter and drier fire seasons, will also be considered by the royal commission.
"The inquiry acknowledges climate change, the broader impact of our summers getting longer, drier and hotter and is focused on practical action that has a direct link to making Australians safer," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a statement.
"That's why we need to look at what actions should be taken to enhance our preparedness, resilience and recovery through the actions of all levels of government and the community, for the environment we are living in."
Assessing governments' responses to bushfires
The terms of reference cover a range of matters across Commonwealth, state, territory and local governments.
They include preparedness and recovery, to natural disasters, hazard reduction, wildlife conservation, development approvals, and the debate over when the Federal Government can step in to offer assistance.
That latter point was highlighted as a concern for the PM during an interview with the ABC in January, where Mr Morrison argued the Commonwealth's hands were tied when responding to the unfolding emergency because it had to wait for formal requests for help from the states.
The commissioners will also investigate whether the findings of previous royal commissions and inquiries have ever been acted on.
Traditional land management techniques used by Indigenous Australians will form part of the inquiry.
Mr Morrison said the appointment of the three commissioners covered "judicial, military and environmental planning and management backgrounds".
Air Chief Marshal Binskin finished his term as chief of the Defence Force in 2018, while Dr Bennett retired from the Federal Court bench in 2016.
Dr Bennett is now the chancellor of Bond University in Queensland.
Fellow academic Andrew Macintosh is a professor of law at the Australian National University and is a member of the university's Climate Change Institute.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-20/bushfire-royal-commission-terms-set-hazard-reduction/11982764
