Wonky Weather

It’s bushfire season in Australia. Harsh , harsh. Cruel. Yesterday bushfires were caused by lighning strikes in WA and today they are looking at a cyclone which might flood the beautiful area of the Kimberlys. In Adelaide we’ve have bush fires too and today they appear to have been deliberately lit. We just changed the laws in SA about arsonists because people just kept lighting more and more fires. Having out run a bushfire in the hills in my car one year and on a coach the next…it is terrifying. The Ash Wednesday fires were our worst ones. We can’t stop lightning but, why oh why, do people deliberately light them? Australia actually needs some fires to regenerate bush areas. I know this will sound odd. Some tree seeds/pods don’t germinate unless cracked open by fire and gum trees shed so much material I guess it is natures way of cleaning up, but we live in these areas now.



Bush arsonists face 20 years' jail


ARSONISTS would face up to 20 years' imprisonment under new laws to be introduced to the South Australian parliament next month.

SA Premier Mike Rann today said the legislation would create a new bushfire offence.
The offence would carry a maximum 20-year jail term for anyone who intentionally or recklessly started a fire that spread to vegetation on property not owned by that person.
Under existing law, someone found guilty of lighting a fire had been charged with arson, which carried a graduated scale of penalties, depending on the value of the damage caused by the fire.
"The 20-year maximum term would be the toughest on mainland Australia," Mr Rann said in a statement. Tasmania has a penalty of 21 years for a similar offence.
"The new bushfire offence would focus on the risk of harm caused by starting a fire - rather than the actual damage caused," Mr Rann said.
"As we know only too well in this state, bushfires can have a catastrophic effect on entire communities and cause irreparable personal and environmental loss.
"We intend to punish severely anyone found guilty of deliberately beginning a chain of events that can potentially lead to those tragic consequences."

AAP
http://www.news.com.au/common/
story_page/0%2C4057%2C4131680%255E1702%2C00.html
Nov 6th 2004

Cyclone to hit WA



Lightning causes bushfires in WA