Broomehill-Tambellup and Katanning receive State government bushfire mitigation funding for first time

The allocation of more than $3.3 million in bushfire mitigation funding to high-risk local governments has been met with “gratitude and relief” by one of its Great Southern recipients, who received it for the first time this year. Broomehill-Tambellup and Katanning are for the first time among the 28 local governments to receive money for preventative bushfire treatments via the State Government’s mitigation activity fund, joining the areas of Albany, Boddington and Wandering. The funding is earmarked to reduce bushfire fuel loads, create firebreaks and improve access for firefighters in high-risk areas. Shire of Broomehill-Tambellup chief executive Karen Callaghan said the shire was thrilled to be included in the funding, which she said “significantly boosts” its capacity to reduce fire risk and protect lives and property via a more co-ordinated and effective approach. “Historically, we have relied on internal funding sources to undertake bushfire mitigation works,” she said. “This has placed considerable pressure on our limited local government resources and has, by necessity, constrained the scale and frequency of the work we could deliver. “As a result, mitigation activities have often been reactive or focused only on the highest-priority areas. “This funding allows us to expand our efforts and carry out more targeted and impactful works, including the creation and maintenance of firebreaks, strategic fuel reduction along key road reserves, and improving access for emergency services. “These measures are vital in a rural shire like ours, where response times can be challenged by geography and resourcing.” Broomehill-Tambellup was allocated $47,380 for three treatments, while Katanning received $35,185 for six. Albany was handed the fourth-largest amount at $265,685, behind Mundaring in the Perth Hills ($456,819), Busselton ($302,236) and Donnybrook-Balingup ($270,840). City of Albany community emergency services manager Brendan Gordon said the city welcomed the “critical” funding for its 114 treatments, which was the highest amount of any region. “The City secured significantly more treatments than many other regional areas because of the extensive interface between our urban development and surrounding bushland,” he said. “We also manage large areas of public land with high ecological and community value that carry elevated bushfire risk.” Boddington received $149,192 for 10 treatments and Wandering $32,378 for seven. Emergency Services Minister Paul Papalia said the funding was “crucial” in helping keep high-risk communities safe. “WA is experiencing more extreme bushfire seasons and about 93 per cent of the State is bushfire prone,” he said. “Last season, more than 3,500 bushfires across the State burnt more than 400,000 hectares. “The Bushfire Mitigation Activity Fund is crucial in helping local governments all over WA safeguard their communities. “Bushire mitigation work has a low impact on the environment and reduces the fuel available to burn, slowing down the spread of bushfires and assisting firefighters to bring them under control early.”