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This week
marked the 40th
anniversary of the ‘Black Tuesday' bushfires that
ravaged much of the Channel region in my electorate
of Franklin, and which took the lives of
62 people and destroyed hundreds of homes.
I attended a twilight
ceremony for the dedication and unveiling of a
Commemorative Wall in remembrance of the fires,
which was arranged by the South Channel Ratepayers
Association. Nicky and I took the kids, and whilst
we arrived a little late at Middleton, it was a
wonderful local event which concluded with a
cheerful social gathering in the community hall.
After talking with some
locals who lost family and property in the fires, it
is obvious their recollections of this horrifying
disaster are still vivid, despite forty years
passing.
In response to the recent bushfires on the East
Coast, and the annual threat they pose, I have
called for
a renewed nationwide strategy to better equip local
communities to fight fires. We can surely improve
the coordination of our fire fighting efforts,
mitigation strategies, the allocation of resources
and equipment and so on. We need to have the debate
now - with the issue fresh in our minds - not
wishing we had in the middle of the next fire
season. I have written to the Prime Minister, and my
State colleagues suggesting a summit to address this
issue.
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