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Australia

Farmers reeling from ‘preventable’ summer bushfires demand inquiry

A man, wearing a blue work shirt, leans on a fence.

It has been six months since a devastating bushfire ripped through WA’s Wheatbelt region, and impacted farmers are still counting the cost.

The Shire of Corrigin, 220 kilometers east of Perth, was among the regions hardest hit.

About 45,000 hectares of land was burned, four homes, and dozens of buildings destroyed, and more than 1,000 livestock perished after a prescribed stubble burn reignited in what authorities labeled “catastrophic conditions”.

One farmer caught in the fire’s path was Steven Bolt, who estimated millions of dollars in losses from the February blaze.

Mr Bolt is deputy chief of Corrigin’s Volunteer Fire Brigade and said the fire, which engulfed his property, could have been prevented.

“We all knew the risk coming that weekend, and for a permit to be issued is absolutely staggering, and the fire should never have happened, and the permit should have never been issued,” he said.

A farm's shed and machinery burns.
A shed burns in Corrigin during the February bushfires.(Twitter: Ashley Jacobs)

The neighboring Shire of Bruce Rock permitted the stubble burn several days before the blaze started on February 6.

An investigation by the WA Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) found the authorized burn-off was reignited in 43-degree temperatures before it spread rapidly in strong winds.

No total fire ban was in place at the time, but Mr Bolt contacted authorities with his concerns.

He said his pleas were ignored.

“I told [them] this was going to happen and now it has, and we need all the resources we can find, particularly air support, because we were never going to stop that fire,” he said.

‘We don’t like coming out here anymore’

Correcting farmers Tim and Shannon Hardingham look at a shed with clouds behind them
Tim and Shannon Hardingham survey the damage on their property.(ABC Midwest & Wheatbelt: Sam McManus)

Tim and Shannon Hardingham run a farm 10km east of Corrigin.

Between paddocks of vibrant yellow canola crops now lies a metal scrap yard.

The Hardinghams said the past six months had been the hardest of their lives, and much of the recovery was still ahead of them.

“People who haven’t been through it have a lot of empathy, but there’s a daily struggle in what to do next because there’s just so much to do,” Ms Hardingham said.

“The single biggest cost that is shocking to us is the asbestos clean-up, which we’ve been quoted around $250,000 to clean up.”

Bushfire damage on the Hardingham's property in Correction
More bushfire destruction on the Hardingham’s Correcting property.(ABC Midwest & Wheatbelt: Sam McManus)

The couple now avoids coming out to the farm and have chosen to keep their kids away.

“It doesn’t even resemble the same farm,” Mr Hardingham said.

Please for answers

The burning permit that led to the fire was issued by the Shire of Bruce Rock, which declined to comment on the issue.

Shire president Stephen Strange said it had been a difficult time for the region, but praised the work of local authorities, volunteers, and the state government.

“The recovery will be ongoing for years and years to come… the farmers themselves have done a good job getting the landscape back into pretty good condition,” he said.

“The communication has been very good between affected landholders, community members, and the shire.”

In a statement, DFES acting deputy commissioner Jon Broomhall said the Bruce Rock Shire was within its rights to grant the burning permit, and an “after-action review is currently underway, focusing on the four bushfires that occurred across the state that day.”

Correcting farmer Steven Bolt with one of his sheds destroyed by bushfire
Mr Bolt with one of his sheds destroyed by bushfire.(ABC Midwest & Wheatbelt: Sam McManus)

But local farmers and firefighters said they had so far been left in the dark.

Mr Bolt was calling for a separate investigation into the Correcting fire.

“This needs to be a standalone inquiry. The issue of the permit being given is different to what occurred in the other fires,” he said.

“We haven’t even come close to being able to discuss the issues that have led to this catastrophe through this area,” he said.

Law firm Hall & Wilcox has been engaged by insurers representing impacted landholders, with inquiries still in the early stages.

Ms Hardingham said a thorough investigation could help prevent similar incidents in the future.

“We don’t find ourselves privy to much information about what went wrong,” she said.

“It would be nice to think it will never happen to anyone again and that people could learn from our loss and what we’ve gone through.”

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Australia

Tanya Plibersek proposes blocking Clive Palmer’s Queensland coal mine on environmental grounds

A woman speaks at a lectern

For the first time in Australian history, a federal environment minister has set the wheels in motion to reject a coal mine.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has proposed the rejection of Clive Palmer’s Central Queensland Coal Project on the grounds it is likely to damage the Great Barrier Reef.

The decision remains a “proposal” because a final decision can only be made after 10 days of further consultation, including public comment. But given the wide range of reasons cited by the minister, it is unlikely to be approved.

The planned mining site is just 10 kilometers from the Great Barrier Reef near Rockhampton, and was likely to have contributed to ocean pollution, according to the minister.

“Based on the information available to me at this stage, I believe that the project would be likely to have unacceptable impacts to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, and the values ​​of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and National Heritage Place,” Ms Plibersek said.

A map shows the location of a mine and the location of the Great Barrier Reef.
Clive Palmer’s proposed coal mine site is just 10 kilometers from the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.(abcnews)

The decision was also based on potential impacts to local water resources.

Although it is the first time a federal environment minister has proposed to reject an application to develop a coal mine, the Queensland government recommended the rejection last year.

The move was announced the same day the government passed its climate bill through the lower house, with the support of the cross bench including the Greens.

The Greens have been pushing the government to reject all coal and gas projects while the government has said it will approve those that stack up environmentally.

“That’s now one down and 113 to go. There’s 114 of these projects in the pipeline,” Greens leader Adam Bandt said.

The Greens have also been pushing for a “climate trigger” that would require the potential impacts of coal and gas projects on climate change to be considered by the environment minister. As it stands, the potential climate change impact of this mine was not considered in the approval process.

Conservationists, activists glad minister ‘listened to warnings’

The preliminary decision was applauded by conservationists and climate activists.

“This is the right proposed decision for the Great Barrier Reef from the environment minister,” Cherry Muddle from the Australian Marine Conservation Society said.

“We are glad she has listened to warnings from government-appointed and independent scientists, as well as the Queensland government who said the mine was ‘not suitable’ to proceed in April 2021.

“In the wake of the fourth mass bleaching event on the reef since 2016, it is vital new coal and gas projects like this one are refused. It shows the government are serious about saving the reef and tackling the issues that threaten it.”

A photo from above the Great Barrier Reef shades of blue ocean
Queensland’s environment department deemed Clive Palmer’s project “not suitable” to proceed last year.(Facebook: Great Barrier Reef Legacy/File photo)

The proposed project included two open-cut pits north of Rockhampton over an area of ​​more than 2,660 hectares.

The detailed reasons for the proposed decision have not yet been released, but included impacts on a world heritage area, and on-water resources. The project’s potential impacts on threatened species was not listed as a reason for rejection.

The public has 10 days to comment on the proposed decision.

Mr Palmer’s company Central Queensland Coal was not available for comment.

The Queensland government concluded in 2021 the mine would generate royalties for the state of between $703 million and $766 million in total.

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Categories
Australia

Residents of flood effected Goodna say the buy-back scheme is taking too long, Reconstruction Authority says they will not be rushed

Johann Koorts, whose house in Goodna was flooded, standing in front of his home

The owner of flood-ravaged properties south-west of Brisbane says he remains in an “awkward position” as he waits to hear whether his houses will be bought back by the government.

Flood-affected home owners in eastern parts of Goodna are being given “initial priority” for voluntary home buy-backs, with 31 owners having confirmed their interest so far.

More than five months after the February flood disaster, authorities say 4,259 people across the state have registered their interest to have their homes raised, rebuilt or voluntarily bought back under the $741 million Resilient Homes Fund.

It includes 443 home owners for voluntary buy-back, with 70 per cent of them living in Ipswich and Brisbane.

Eighteen home owners have been identified in the first tranche of the Brisbane buy-back scheme.

The state government said Goodna east has been given “initial priority” because of the extent of the disaster impact and flood risk, with valuations in Ipswich to start in mid-August.

Rubbish stacked on either side of Enid Street.
Enid Street in Goodna was devastated by flooding in February and March.(Supplied)

Resident Johann Koorts applied to be part of the buy-back scheme for the two homes he and his wife own on Enid Street today.

“We are not fixing it. We have no money to fix it,” he said.

“We could have started a month after the floods if we [had] confirmation from the government on what they were going to do.

“I’m not sure if I should be doing anything [to the house]because it is not used — the other people in the neighborhood advise, ‘You’re wasting your time and your money if you fix it’.

“It is a very awkward position to be in now.”

‘We are not going to rush’

Brendan Moon, the chief executive officer of the Queensland Reconstruction Authority, said the buy-back scheme was a voluntary process and would take time.

“It relies on an independent valuation of the property to take place and that home owner agreeing to valuation of that property before they sell their house,” he said.

“This is a big decision for people so we are not going to rush this.”

Of the more than 8,000 properties impacted in the southern Queensland flooding, approximately two-thirds have either been repaired or works were underway, Mr Moon said.

Another 2,000 properties are still uninhabitable at this point in time.

“This will be a long road,” Mr Moon said.

Flooded buildings in a street in Goodna.
Queen Street in Goodna flooded severely in February.(ABC NewsAlice Pavlovic)

A key driver for work to begin was the progress of the home surveys, which tells authorities “where floodwaters have been and where they may go into the future”, he said.

“Right now we have over 3,000 underway surveys.

“This tells us the best option for those particular home owners … and will drive the outcome for those home owners.”

He said home owners should not wait for funds to be available to conduct repairs.

There are still about 600 home owners who were unsure of their next steps and “our approach now is very much supporting them getting them to the right decision.”

Asked about wider construction challenges and material shortages, Mr Moon said “these are considerations we’ve taken into account in the design of this program”.

“I think when we start to get an understanding of what the scope of works and costs associated with those works look like, I think we’ll be in a better position to make a call on those,” he said.

‘Gap’ in creek system knowledge

It comes as State Recovery Coordinator Major General Jake Ellwood delivered his report into the south-east Queensland floods detailing the recovery plan going forward.

Major General Jake Ellwood speaking at a press conference.
Major General Jake Ellwood says there was a “gap” in knowledge about south-east Queensland’s creek systems.(ABC News: Scott Kyle)

He said from visiting different communities it was clear to him “there was a feeling that there could have been more warning”.

“In some areas they felt there were gauges required, in other areas they felt the gauges might be older,” he said.

“The thing is, we have an opportunity now with technology to actually improve what we have so that we get a better picture.

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