Bushfires advisory groups

The Bushfires Management Act 2016 provides for the establishment of:

• a bushfires council
• regional committees for each of the fire management zones.

Read below to find out more.

Committees and members

In the Northern Territory (NT), there is a committee for each of the 5 fire management zones.

• Alice Springs
• Arnhem
• Barkly
• Savanna
• Vernon Arafura.

Each of these zones has a bushfire management plan.

How members are appointed

The minister appoints members of the council and the committees to support bushfire prevention and control in the NT.

Members are appointed for a term of up to 3 years, and are eligible for reappointment after the term.

Each member represents a broad cross section of regional land use interests.

These members are appointed for their knowledge and experience in land and fire management and their ability to represent the interests of land use sectors.

When they meet

While there is no prescribed schedule of committee or council meetings, it is usual for committees to meet twice each year.

Extra meetings can be held at the chair’s discretion.

Bushfires Council

The Bushfires Council is a statutory body that has a legislated responsibility under section 25(1) the Act.

The functions of the council, as detailed in the Act, are to advise the minister on measures to be taken to mitigate, manage and suppress bushfires in the Territory.

Members of the Bushfires Council report directly to the minister. The chair of each regional committee is a member of the council.

Read more about committee members.

Regional bushfires committees

The bushfire regional committees are statutory bodies established under section 32(1) of the Act.

The functions of a committee, as detailed in the Act, are to:

• advise the council on measures to be taken to mitigate, manage and suppress bushfires in the committee’s fire management zone
• endorse a regional bushfire management plan, prepared by Bushfires NT, for the committee’s fire management zone.

Risk register

The regional fire management plan outlines land use and fire management objectives within the region, and includes a detailed risk register.

Each committee is involved in development and endorsement of a regional bushfire management plan.

The risk register clarifies:

• who owns the risk
• details existing control measures
• potential risk treatments.

It uses standard risk analysis methods to grade risks according to likelihood and consequence. It determines acceptability and need for further action.

Arrangements for the mitigation, management and suppression of bushfires in the region are based on risk management principles. These guide the direction and evaluation of activities.

Regional plans are designed to identify and categorise risk at a regional level. This enables:

• optimal allocation of resources
• specific control/treatments in the risk management process.

The committee’s other core function is to advise the Bushfires Council on regional bushfire management matters.

This structure gives regional bushfires committees a strong voice in the development of bushfire management policy in the Territory.