News of a Royal Commission seems to have quietened down in the last week or two, with no word yet on when the idea is going to be presented to cabinet.
Some discussion has centred on whether or not we need one, because it would be expensive and pointless if the findings aren’t implemented, and furthermore there have been many enquiries before. There are also suggestions that a Royal Commission is an easy way for the Prime Minister to stall action and keep any responsibility at arms length.
My answer to these concerns is:
1) Yes it is costly, but if done correctly and followed through correctly it will not only save money but lives as well.
2) Yes findings do need to be implemented and it is pointless if they aren’t, however I believe this event is so big that any government that doesn’t implement all the findings can and should be voted out, and it is important we keep public pressure on so that all findings are implemented.
3) There are more issues at play here than previous enquiries have fully investigated. Yes many findings of previous enquiries will still be relevant; but there has not in my opinion been previous investigations that have fully investigated the role of funding cuts to fire services and national parks, the government’s response to advice by senior scientists and fire commissioners (particularly in relation to climate change) and the effective co-ordination of federal and state resources, and legal issues around that. There are many factors that have caused THIS EVENT to happen that still need to be looked at, so that one like this is never repeated.
4) The notion that a Royal Commission is a strategic play by the Prime Minister could well be undone by the eventual findings of it, so that concern can be set aside I believe. (In fact you could argue the reverse – that not having a Royal Commission is more in the PM’s favour).
For all these reasons a new Royal Commission is very much needed.
So what can you do?
Please share and circulate this petition so we can get the signatures up to 100,000. We’re nudging 90,000 now but I think 100,000 is a very important figure.
When we reach 100,000 I am going to ring the Prime Minister’s office and put that figure to whomever I am talking to and try and get some time frame on when the idea is going to cabinet and also try and get our petition mentioned in their discussion. A figure like that should carry some weight.
So please use the resources on this page to share it on your platforms
And remember our short URL is
Change.org/BushfireRC
We’ve had some media coverage, including one paper that published my personal phone number and email address - but to be honest there’s been very little pushback (and only coming through facebook too). Once we hit that 100,000 figure and I’ve spoken to the PM’s office I’ll seek some more media.
Finally if you’re not too petition-fatigued could you please consider signing this one as well
https://www.change.org/p/toowoomba-council-save-the-mt-lofty-koalas
Surviving koala habitat is critical now and incredibly there’s a whole lot planned to be bull dozed in Toowoomba L
Thanks for your support, if we keep the pressure up we can turn things around. So please circulate our petition to your network (using the link further up) and then consider signing and circulating the koala one as well.