Several South West shires are set to benefit from the latest round of bushfire mitigation activity fund grants

Several South West shires are set to benefit from the latest round of bushfire mitigation activity fund grants, with the State spending more than $5.1 million to prepare for bushfire season.

This year, 41 local governments received funding for 752 bushfire mitigation treatments across the State undertake the strategies on State-owned land.

Since this Government came into office in 2017, a total of $74.9 million in funding has been allocated to 83 local governments to undertake 10,241 mitigation treatment burns.

The Shire of Harvey received $183,077 to conduct 20 burns, while the City of Bunbury received $88,629 to conduct two burns.

The City of Busselton also received $319,964 for 98 burns while the Shire of Augusta Margaret River received $428,879 for 51 burns

The Shire of Boyup Brook received $77,393 for 13 burns, the Shire of Nannup received $55,760 for nine burns and the Shire of Donnybrook-Balingup received $129,045 for 20 burns.

Emergency Services Minister David Michael said in the past 12 months there have been more than 5100 bushfires across WA, burning through around 7.5 million hectares — greater than the size of Tasmania.

“As more than 93 per cent of WA is bushfire prone, it is vital we work with local governments to undertake mitigation activities that will limit the impacts on our landscape,” he said.

“By reducing the scale of bushfires, we are also helping our valiant firefighters get control of incidents before they put lives, homes, and businesses at risk.”