A chance to let farmers air their “angst and distress” from the Sir Ivan Fire is needed, NSW Farmers says.
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The NSW Farmers Association passed a motion at their annual conference in Sydney this week to push for a Coronial Inquiry into the fire.
The fire, which was caused by a lightning strike, destroyed 35 homes in Uarbry and the surrounding areas. It destroyed more than 55,000 hectares, according to NSW Rural Fire Service, as well as 5700 kilometres of fencing.
The blaze killed 2000 sheep, 56 cattle, 90 goats and 36 poultry.
NSW Farmers' rural affairs committee chair Sonia O'Keefe said a coronial inquiry would help identify any communication breakdowns that may have played a part in the blaze.
"A Coronial Inquiry would give the people who were affected by the bush fire an opportunity to put their story forward and to get their questions answered in a public forum,” she said.
"The fire has caused a lot of angst and distress for our members who were impacted and they believe there was inadequate communication between the RFS senior leadership team and those on the fire front.”
The calls for an inquiry were not a reflection on the great work of the men and the women who were on the ground fighting the fire, Ms O’Keefe said.
At the NSW Farmers' Annual Conference, delegates also passed another motion to vigorously pursue with the Rural Fire Service shortcomings in the management of bushfires.
"This motion is designed to look at issues including the deployment and most efficient use of RFS units during the fire, the lack of official RFS support for local land managers fighting the fire and a lack of local command posts to have direct contact with fire control headquarters," Ms O'Keefe said.
A motion was also passed to ensure that the RFS interpretation of an asset recognised the importance of livestock and pastures.