Protect Australian bushland from unnecessary hazard-reduction burning

The Petition of residents of the State of Queensland draws to the attention of the House concerns about the environment impacts that repeated, poorly timed or unnecessary prescribed and hazard-reduction burning may have on native wildlife, habitat, biodiversity, soil and waterways.

Your petitioners recognise the importance of protecting people and property from bushfire. They ask that bushfire management also give appropriate consideration to ecological impacts and use the least environmentally damaging effective methods reasonably available.

Your petitioners, therefore, request the House to review Queensland’s approach to prescribed and hazard-reduction burning and consider measures including:

1. Stronger environmental assessment before planned burns.
2. Greater consideration of practical non-burning fuel-reduction methods.
3. Protection of wildlife breeding and nesting periods, threatened species and high-value habitat.
4. Appropriate buffers around sensitive ecosystems and waterways.
5. Public reporting of planned burns and their environmental outcomes.
6. Post-burn monitoring of impacts on wildlife, vegetation, soil and waterways.
7. Consultation with Traditional Owners, ecologists, conservation scientists, firefighters and affected communities.
8. Review of burning programs where monitoring identifies significant ecological harm.
9. Continued research into bushfire-management approaches that protect both communities and ecosystems.