With regard to the group who allegedly had a party on Lewis Island on October 9: if someone knew the group was there and knew that they had a fire going, why didn't they call the police?

It seems to me that if the person/s where aware of this party, then something should have been done/said at the time, not after the event.

Government is having a poor run? Really?

Imagine how much more graft and corruption might have been uncovered/highlighted if the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) hadn't had its funding cut by the government .. now ten years of cuts in a row!

Who benefits from a 'nothing to see here' attitude?

Why, those in power doing the wrong thing of course ... and their mates.

The professional association representing some 1,000 forest scientists, researchers and forest professional managers, the Institute of Foresters (IFA/AFG) has called on the Bush Fire Royal Commission to simply audit and implement the last 58 inquiries, reviews and Royal Commissions on the issue if it wants to see meaningful forest management in Australia.

While climate change is a factor influencing fire weather, it is not the sole reason why Black Summer wildfires burnt across multiple states and territories, burning nearly double the area of any previous major wildfires in a fire season.

Arrangements that continue to focus on response rather than prevention accept that Australia shall continue to have major wildfires, needing to spend more taxpayer funds with little difference in outcomes.

The IFA hopes the Royal Commission recommends arrangements that protect our ecological values, particularly the vegetation which supports our unique wildlife.

Wildfires involve an interaction between fuel, weather, terrain, and climate. The state of the fuel is largely a product of land management. Fuel is also a critical environmental factor, and much of Australia's natural environment is adapted and reliant on the appropriate type of fire.

Changing the state of fuel across the landscape, in a way that sustains biodiversity, also reduces the severity of wildfires.

Achieving this requires well-trained and locally knowledgeable land managers.

Indigenous Australians did this for at least 60,000 years and we need to work with them to reintroduce large scale landscape fire management regimes.

Aircraft are important for intelligence gathering, transport and suppression, however more larger fire suppression aircraft is not the answer.