2009 Victorian bushfires Royal Commission commences

Yesterday the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission Preliminary Hearing was conducted in the County Court.

This update is the first of many regular pieces that will be posted to keep you informed of the Royal Commission proceedings over the next twelve months or so. The updates may be daily, they may be weekly; it all depends on what is happening in the hearings.

Yesterday's hearing covered the opening address by the Chairman of the Commission, the Honourable Bernard Teague AO, an outline of proceedings and the key issues to be dealt with from Mr Jack Rush Senior Counsel assisting the Commission and representation from those seeking an opportunity to present evidence.

In his opening remarks, Mr Teague outlined the major issues to be addressed including:

• Why did the bushfires of 7 February 2009 take so many human lives?
• Why were those bushfires so extreme, so feral, so catastrophic and so devastating?
• What can be done to ensure that so many lives are not lost, that so much devastation is not caused, in such bushfires in the future?

Mr Teague said that there were many issues that could be investigated but of all the issues saving lives is the highest priority, and if time permits other issues will be addressed. In order for the Royal Commission to present the interim report by 17 August 2009, the most critical issues will be addressed first.

The Royal Commission has granted eight entities the opportunity of presenting evidence to the hearings. They are:

• Commonwealth of Australia
• Municipal Association of Victoria and the 77 local Councils
• Insurance Council of Australia
• SP AusNet power company – granted conditional leave on causation
• State of Victoria and its agencies (which includes CFA in the whole of government response)
• United Firefighters Union (UFU)
• Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria (VFBV)
• The Police Association Victoria (TPA)

CFA will be represented in the first instance by Chief Officer Russell Rees with his statement which is anticipated to be heard on or around 11 May 2009.

Other organisations seeking leave to appear include:

• A community victims group representing persons from Coleraine, Horsham, Mudgegonga, Kinglake and Weerite
• Australasian Fire and Emergency Services Authorities Council (AFAC)
• SP AusNet seeking an extension of its conditional leave to encompass additional issues
• The Stretton Group ( a lobby group made up of researchers and politicians), its focus is on the planning and implementation for the reduction of fuel loads

A decision on whether any of these entities will be granted leave, or extended leave to appear will be announced in due course.

Do you still want to be heard?

We strongly encourage you to contribute to CFA or VFBV debriefing processes and we will be setting up an email address if you would like to provide any further suggestions or feedback.

How the Royal Commission will work?

The Royal Commission will conduct public hearings in an initial block of eight weeks commencing on Monday 11 May 2009.

This first block of hearings will focus on:

• the spread of fire on Black Saturday,
• the weather conditions leading up to 7 February 2009, and
• the Stay and Defend or Leave Early Policy.

If time permits during this first block of hearings, building standards in bushfire prone areas will also be addressed.

The Commission will conduct hearings from Monday to Thursday in two sessions, from 9.30am to 1.00pm and from 2.00pm to 4.30pm.

The interim report will be completed by 17 August 2009. The Commission will conduct the hearings in the County Court, Melbourne. A direct stream (real time transmission) from the Royal Commission hearings can be accessed by going to the website at www.royalcommission.vic.gov.au. Click onto the Public Hearings button and then onto live webcast link.

Findings from the 26 community consultations and consultations with over 1,000 people are now available on the Royal Commission website www.royalcommission.vic.gov.au.