Goongerah is a small settlement situated approximately 70 km north of Orbost and 30 km south of Bonang. It is surrounded by forested country and is dissected by the Goongerah Creekk and the Brodribb River. There is little infrastructure, with private assets spread throughout the valley. Public infrastructure is limited to a community hall, primary school and CFA shed.
There is an active Community Fireguard and CFA brigade in Goongerah. Most residents
of Goongerah are involved in some way in either the brigade or the Community
Fireguard, and many are prepared to defend their homes against wildfire.
The community has expressed a number of concerns in the past about the current fire management on public land around Goongerah. Various groups and individuals have prepared submissions regarding the fuel reduction burns scheduled for the surrounding area. Some members of the community feel as though there has been inadequate consultation, or that their concerns have been ignored and submissions have not been passed on to the relevant officers. However, more recently since personnel have changed, some believe that engagement with DSE regarding fire management has improved.
These concerns have been articulated at two public meetings held in Goongerah.
Although there is some diversity of opinion on fuel reduction burns scheduled
in Goongerah, there are some concerns that are shared by the whole community.
These are:
1. There is inadequate research into the effect of burns, both long-term and
short term. These effects include ecological effects, as well as the effectiveness
of these burns in asset protection.
2. There is a concern about the effect of fire on certain forest types, especially
wet gullies and south-facing slopes.
3. There is a desire to see burns conducted on ecological grounds, rather than
for asset protection.
There are serious concerns held by a significant number of locals and landholders that warrant mentioning in a community submission. These include: 1. The lack of monitoring of compliance with the current Code of Practice and the lack of meaningful recourse for breaches of the Code that may occur. 2. The general trend of "drying out" wet forest that occurs when fuel reduction burns occur in the context of a landscape that has already been heavily logged. 3. The difficulty in ensuring that wet gullies are not burnt, even if that is the intention of a proposed burn. 4. The "edge effect" of burns on wet gullies 5. The past history of fuel reduction burns getting "out of control" 6. Whether fuel reduction burns actually reduce fire risk or increase it. We would appreciate it if you took these concerns into consideration when reviewing your current Code of Practice for Fire Management on Public Land. We would be happy to have the opportunity to further discuss our concerns in detail if the review team feel our concerns warrant serious consideration.
Thank you
on behalf of the residents of Goongerah