As the Labor Government continues to underfund the Country Fire Authority (CFA), there are new warnings today of bushfire risk to popular Victorian coastal areas this summer.
Latest Bureau of Meteorology data confirms soil moisture levels are below average in much of Victoria's south-west, including the Otway and Surf Coasts, as a predicted hot and dry summer increases the risk of a dangerous fire season.
It comes amid a 20 per cent decrease in the number of operational CFA volunteers and lowered recruitment targets for CFA.
Additional figures from the CFA and Forest Fire Management Victoria show the number of planned hazard reduction burns has fallen slightly compared to the average, despite ballooning coastal populations and increased bushfire risk.
Shadow Minister for Emergency Services, Richard Riordan, said: "With a growing bushfire risk this summer, now is the worst time possible for Labor to weaken the CFA.
"It's vital the Minister for Emergency Services Jaclyn Symes does everything in her power to prepare at risk areas and not sleepwalk into a dangerous summer bushfire season.
"Now is the time to support the CFA, increase firefighting capacity, and meet hazard reduction burn targets, not let all three become the latest casualties of Labor's budget mismanagement."
