After another bushfire closes the Eyre Highway, the Shire of Dundas says it needs more support to battle the massive fires in the Great Western Woodlands.
The Shire of Dundas has initial responsibility for many of the fires that threaten the Eyre Highway, which is Western Australia's main transport route.Shire chief executive Peter Fitchat says the council needs more funding and resources to manage fires effectively.The straight, flat, seemingly endless stretch of bitumen carries travellers across the Nullarbor – a word that literally means "no trees".
Chief executive Peter Fitchat points to the poor state of footpaths in Norseman, a town of about 500 people two hours south of Kalgoorlie, where he is based."That's where the money came out to manage state land."He said it made no sense that his local government, which had no technical expertise in fire management and a tiny rates base, was responsible for managing fires across much of its 93,179 square kilometre jurisdiction.
He said water-bombers were not used because there were no appropriate water resources for them to reload, and they did not tend to help bring remote woodland fires under control.Mr Fitchat said his local government could play a bigger role in firefighting and preventing Eyre Highway closures in the future.
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