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Danny O'Brien calls for better protecting Loch Sport and other isolated Gippsland communities from ongoing bushfire threats

Danny O'Brien underscores bushfire management's importance in locations like Loch Sport, emphasising fuel reduction and enhanced firebreaks through years of advocacy, petitions, and communication with government.

By news@gippsland - 11th October 2023 - Back to News

The Nationals Member for Gippsland South, Danny O'Brien is calling for action to protect Loch Sport and other similarly isolated regional communities from continued unnecessary bushfire risk. Mr O'Brien said Loch Sport, like other Gippsland towns that have experienced significant bushfire threat in recent years such as Mallacoota, is surrounded by national park and vegetation, with just one road in and one road out.

The Nationals Member for Gippsland South, Danny O'Brien met with concerned locals during a visit to Loch Sport following the recent bushfire that threatened the town

Bushfire safety concerns

Mr O'Brien said, "The people who live in towns like Loch Sport are reliant on appropriate bushfire management practices to ensure their safety. So it is no wonder that the recent bushfires, which saw the coastal banksia heathland around Loch Sport devastated, have sparked plenty of concerns among locals."

"I received a very clear message that there is a need for more fuel reduction and better fire breaks around the town. This is not a new message and is something I have been working alongside the Loch Sport community to convey to the Labor government for several years now," Mr O'Brien said.

Call for bushfire action

Mr O'Brien circulated a petition calling on the state government to take action to better protect Loch Sport from bushfire risk back in 2020. "I also wrote to both the Minister for Emergency Services and the Minister for Environment at that time and am aware that community meetings were facilitated between the state departments and the local community as a result."

"While I sincerely appreciate opportunities for the local community to be heard, what we really need is action,"he said. Mr O'Brien said he will now be taking up these and other fire-related issues with the government over coming weeks.

Pictures from Danny O'Brien MP website.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com