RELEASE OF NATIONAL BUSHFIRE ARSON FORUM REPORT
26 June 2009
Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, today released a report by the National Bushfire Arson Forum which highlights the importance of effective coordination in combating deliberately lit fires.
The inaugural National Bushfire Arson Forum, held in Canberra in March, was attended by more than thirty police, fire agency officers and arson specialists from around the country.
The Forum considered a range of measures to ensure the strongest possible action to prevent and deter arson.
The Forum 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.
The Forum’s report details findings across five key action areas, including environmental and situational, criminal justice, community education, evidence base and enabling actions.
These include a number of practical outcomes, such as:
- commissioning a national strategy for the prevention of bushfire arson, to be agreed at the Ministerial Council for Police and Emergency Management (MCPEM) in November;
- creating an online resource to share information on arson prevention between practitioners, researchers and policy makers; and
- updating current training modules to include bushfire arson crime prevention strategies and investigatory techniques.
This follows consideration by the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General (SCAG) in April of new offences carrying penalties of up to 25 years for bushfire arson causing death or serious harm.
Outcomes from the National Bushfire Arson Forum will be presented to MCPEM at the next meeting in November this year.
The Forum report can be accessed at www.ag.gov.au.
Media Contact: Adam Siddique 0407 473 630
