Call for new fire hearings

By Kath Gannaway
MCEWEN MP Fran Bailey has called for the Royal Commission into the 2009 bushfires to be aborted and a new commission set up.
Ms Bailey was speaking last week following the Royal Commission’s preliminary directions hearing to consider leave to appear applications.
Ms Bailey questioned the transparency and accountability of the process which she said had excluded survivors from giving formal evidence, putting at risk any recommendations made by the commission.
“Among those excluded by the Royal Commission are locals with expertise in fire management and prevention, expert witnesses the commissioners must hear,” Ms Bailey said.
“Survivors were told that this was to be a very open and transparent process, and now they find out that they are being denied access to go and appear before the commission set up to investigate why their lives have been so terribly affected.
“The Royal Commission has effectively restricted itself to appearances from bureaucrats and lawyers while the people who experienced the ferocity and destruction of the inferno are shut out,” Ms Bailey said.
However, commissioner Bernard Teague moved to reassure disaffected organisations and individuals explaining that leave to appear had primarily been given to those whose action was likely to be under scrutiny or questioned.
Among the organisations given leave to appear (permission to be legally represented during the entire hearing period) are the Commonwealth Government, State Government agencies including the DSE, CFA, Victoria Police and the shires of Yarra Ranges, Murrindindi and Nillumbik. Others may be added to that list.
The Victorian Association of Forest Industries (VAFI) is one of those bodies which was not granted leave to appear, along with the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF).
Mr Teague said: “We’ve talked to over 1200 community members in the last month to get a strong indication of the issues, now it is time to her from those directly involved in planning and response,” he said.
Council assisting the commissioners explained that a refusal of a grant of leave does not mean a refusal to the giving of evidence.
“It needs to be understood that where ‘leave to appear’ is not granted to an individual this does not mean that person will be denied the opportunity of giving evidence,” he said.