Released 09/05/2018
The South-east Australia Aboriginal Fire Forum being held in Canberra this week brings together 130 local and interstate participants to share knowledge and experiences of cultural burning.
“The fire forum enables Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-Indigenous fire managers to talk about Aboriginal fire practices and how we can build partnerships and skills to manage for Country well into the future,” Minister for the Environment and Heritage Mick Gentleman said.
“Participants at the Cultural Burning: Evolving with Community and Country Forum will network, learn and establish collaborations with local land councils, researchers, government and other fire agencies.
“We’re looking forward to a line-up of speakers that includes several well-known fire practitioners including founder of Firesticks, Oliver Costello, Victor Steffensen of Mulong and Aboriginal historian, Bruce Pascoe.”
Forum organiser, ACT Government Aboriginal Natural Resource Management Facilitator Darren Chong, said it was apt that most delegates were Indigenous Australians.
“Given Aboriginal people burnt the Australian landscape intentionally and systemically to maintain healthy resources for millennia, we aim to empower and support Aboriginal communities to take up leadership roles in fire management,” Mr Chong said.
ACT Parks and Conservation Service Murumbung Fire Officer Dean Freeman said Indigenous knowledge had a crucial role to play in shaping our current land management practices.
“Properly managed, fire is an important tool to encourage plant growth and maintain ecosystems for fauna and flora. In the ACT, this includes endangered species such as the Grassland Earless Dragon,” Mr Freeman said.
“ACT Parks and Conservation Service already has a program that includes cultural burning practices in our grasslands and will have much to learn from, and contribute to, the forum.”
The fire forum is funded by the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program and is a joint partnership between ACT Natural Resource Management and the ACT Parks and Conservation Service.
A highlight of the forum will be a field trip to the Gubur Dhaura ochre site in Franklin for a day of yarning, knowledge exchange and partaking in a potential cultural burn using traditional techniques.
Minister Gentleman will attend a youth panel discussion from 2.30 pm to 4 pm on Friday 11 May. He will also attend the field trip to Gubur Dhaura ochre site from 2 pm to 3 pm on Saturday 12 May.
- Statement ends -
Mick Gentleman, MLA | Media Releases