NSW Farmers' Association will push for a coronial inquiry into the Sir Ivan Bushfire after a motion was passed at the annual conference in Sydney this week.
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The February bushfire burnt through 55 thousand hectares of farming land in the central west, destroying more than five thousand head of sheep and cattle and damaging vital agricultural infrastructure.
NSW Farmers' Rural Affairs Committee Chair, Sonia O'Keefe said a coronial inquiry into the Sir Ivan Bushfire 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 bushfire an opportunity to put their story forward and to get their questions answered in a public forum. Our members believe there was inadequate communication between the RFS senior leadership team and those on the fire front.
"Our calls for a coronial inquiry are not a reflection on the great work of the men and women who were on the ground fighting the fire.
At the NSW Farmers' Annual Conference, delegates also passed another motion to vigorously pursue with the RFS shortcomings in the management of bushfires,” Ms O'Keefe said.
"This motion is designed to look at issues including the deployment and most efficient use of RFS units during a fire.”
