Expert Forum Sets Agenda to Combat Bushfire Arson
25 March 2009
Federal Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, today convened a National Forum on the Reduction of Deliberate Bushfires in Australia.
The forum, attended by more than thirty police, fire agency officers and arson specialists from around the country, considered a range of measures to ensure we take the strongest possible action to prevent and deter arson.
Up to fifty per cent of bushfires in Australia are deliberately lit.
In addition to the massive human toll that fires can take, it is estimated that arson in all its forms costs the Australian community approximately $1.6 billion each year.
The forum committed to develop a National Action Plan on Arson, with recommendations to be progressed immediately in the following areas:
- reviewing current criminal laws to ensure nationally consistent arson and bushfire offences that appropriately reflect the gravity of the offence;
- supporting the national implementation of best practice arson prevention measures through the Ministerial Council on Police and Emergency Management;
- establishing specific programs to target known arsonists;
- promoting law enforcement collaboration on techniques and technologies to combat arson;
- updating nationally accredited training programs for fire agency and police personnel to include arson prevention strategies;
- incorporating the use of arson fuel reduction strategies into state and territory land management;
- incorporating arson prevention messages into existing community safety and awareness programs;
- enhancing collaboration with education departments and welfare agencies; and
- developing a national website to facilitate information flows to combat arson.
Other initiatives to be progressed, include:
- developing a nationally consistent framework for data collection on bushfire arson;
- developing analysis tools to identify bushfire arson-prone areas;
- implementing nationally recognised training modules to support investigatory techniques and forensic capability to support the prosecution of arsonists;
- conducting research into socio-economic and demographic factors impacting bushfire arson; and
- developing evaluation tools to measure the success of public communication and education programs.
These outcomes will be discussed over the next month by the Australian Emergency Management Committee and the Ministerial Council on Police and Emergency Management.
All representatives recognised that the key to reducing and preventing bushfire arson is maximising cooperation between fire agencies, police, social services, the criminal justice system, and all levels of Government.
Today’s forum was an important first step in achieving this.
The knowledge and expertise of all stakeholders represented at the Forum will continue to be crucial in working to develop the strongest possible national approach to the prevention and deterrence of these reprehensible crimes.
Media Contact: Adam Siddique 0407 473 630
