PM Transcripts

PRIME MINISTER
FOR MEDIA SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8 1981
Controlling Bushfires in Victoria
At the request of the Victorian Government, the Commonwealth
Government is to provide a RAAF Hercules Aircraft to Victoria
for the bushfire. season in 1981/ 82.
The Prime Minister, Mr Malcolm Fraser and the Premier of
Victoria, Mr Dick Hamer, today announced-this important
initiative which will permit the Victorian Government to
utilise a technologically advanced fire bombing system in the
fight against the bushfire menace in Victoria. The Hercules
will be equipped with a Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System
( MAFFS) which has a capacity of about 11,000 litres of water
and fire-retardant chemicals. The US Forest Service has
undertaken to make this system available for evaluation in
Victorian conditions. The Commonwealth and Victoria will
share the costs of the evaluation equally.
Mr Fraser recalled that on 22 September he had announced
the Commonwealth's decision to carry out an evaluation of
the use of aircraft for fighting bushfires. This study,
being undertaken by the CSIRO, involves a thorough scientific
assessment of the effectiveness of bombing fires of varying
intensity with water and fire-retardant chemicals. The CSIRO
will be comparing this technique with conventional fire fighting
methods and will conduct a cost-benefit analysis of bushfire
suppression methods.
Mr Fraser and Mr Hamer agreed that the CSIRO will be able to
take full advantage of the trials and operations of the
Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System in Victoria to collect
data on bushfire behaviour and control.
The Prime Minister and the Premier concluded by acknowledging
the very great damage caused by bushfires in Victoria since
1967. The initiative announced today will build on the
experience gained to date and will also assist in collecting
information on the performance of large fire-bombing systems
in Australia.