Category: MIL-OSI

A lack of rainfall has left vegetation in the state’s South West and parts of the North East susceptible to fire ignition, with some areas as dry as they were during the devastating 1982/83 fire season. 

Fire restrictions will be extended in the following municipalities:  

• Moyne Shire Council (until 12 May)
• Warrnambool City Council (until 12 May)
• Southern Grampians Shire Council (until 12 May)
• Glenelg Shire Council (until 19 May)
• Towong Shire Council (until 26 May) 

All other Victorian municipalities will exit the Fire Danger Period on 1 May, with restrictions already lifted in some areas. 

CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan said the decision to extend restrictions was necessary to protect communities while dry conditions persisted. 

“We know people look forward to the end of the fire season, but in some areas it’s still too risky to lift restrictions,” Jason said. 

“While cooler days are arriving, the landscape remains dry enough to allow fires to start and spread quickly if a burn-off gets out of control.” 

Residents in affected areas are reminded that burning off remains prohibited unless a valid permit is obtained. 

Since 1 April, CFA has responded to 127 preventable vegetation fires across Victoria, with more than half (53 per cent) caused by escaped burn-offs. Other significant causes included bonfires, campfires, fire pits and fireworks. 

“Escaped burn-offs continued to cause significant concern,” Jason said. 

“What we want to avoid is preventable fires caused by complacency or misunderstanding.” 

“Escaped burns tie up our resources and present a real danger to both the community and our volunteers.” 

Jason also urged landowners to help reduce unnecessary callouts, by registering their burn-offs. 

“We’re asking all landowners to register their burn-offs online, even if their municipality has exited restrictions,” he said. 

“Registering helps prevent false alarms that divert resources from genuine emergencies.” 

Under the CFA Act, penalties for lighting an open-air fire without a permit during the Fire Danger Period can include fines of up to $23,710, 12 months’ imprisonment, or both. 

Landowners can apply for a permit to burn off at firepermits.vic.gov.au. 

Burn off safety checklist: 

•  Obtain a permit if required.  
• Check and monitor weather conditions – particularly wind.
• Postpone your activity if high fire risk conditions develop. 
• Notify your neighbours if the burn will generate fire and smoke. 
• Leave a three-metre fire break, free from flammable materials around the burn.
• Ensure you have enough water on hand (10 litres for small fires). 
• Never leave a burn-off unattended – stay for its entire duration.
• Ensure there are enough people to monitor, contain and extinguish the burn effectively. 

The risk is most prominent in bushland and grasslands in the South West, West and parts of the North East. 

Victoria does not usually encounter significant fire behaviour at this time due to the shorter day lengths, sun angle and morning dew, however, under warm, dry and windy conditions, bushfires are likely to spread and would require greater resources than normal to contain.  

To best safeguard communities and their properties, residents within the Southern Grampians, Moyne and Warrnambool local government areas will remain in fire restrictions until 12 May, with Glenelg enforced until 19 May and Towong, 26 May.  

We ask landowners in these areas that all burning activities are put on hold until restrictions ease, unless permission has been received.  

While rainfall is projected, it is still likely to be below average between May and July and although temperatures are dropping, the situation can change quickly, and communities must be prepared.  

We understand autumn is an opportune time for residents to clean up their properties, but it is important Victorians check their local fire restrictions before lighting any fire in the open air.  

The consequences for individuals can be severe, and the impact and damage of an escaped fire on local communities and emergency services can be devastating.  

Whether that involves unnecessary callouts to a private burn-off, a campfire or outdoor cooking, we urge you to remain vigilant, reconsider your plans and ensure your set up is safe and adheres to the conditions of your area.  

A written permit is required to burn off for farming practices during the FDP, but due to the fire risk in these regions, permits will be withdrawn, revoked or suspended if deemed unsuitable. Burning off piles of trees and branches does not fall in this category.  

Now is not the time for Victorians to be complacent. Conditions are similar to 2013 and 2019, however, the extremity of the current level of dryness in the south west and west of the state is comparable to the extreme 1982/83 bushfire season. 

Jason Heffernan 

CFA Chief Officer 

30 April 2025

Social workers in First Nations communities need to incorporate Aboriginal ways of knowing, being and doing at the heart of their supervision practices on Country.

That’s the recommendation from University of South Australia (UniSA) researchers in a new study published in Australian Social Work.

First author Jamie Sorby – a Kamilaroi woman, qualified social worker and UniSA lecturer – says that current supervision practices in social work are centred on Western practices that overlook a community-grounded approach that is valued in First Nations culture.

“Western models of supervision often focus on managerial oversight, risk aversion and clinical outcomes, and are disconnected from the lived realities of both workers and clients in Aboriginal communities,” Sorby says.

“They tend to favour formal, hierarchical structures and overlook cultural values, emotional safety and relational trust.

“For Aboriginal workers, this can feel alienating and unsafe. Supervision should be a space of support, growth and cultural reflection, but often it’s not. This is why culturally responsive models are urgently needed,” she says.

The authors argue that traditional Western approaches to supervision often fail to acknowledge the lived experience of Aboriginal workers or the intergenerational trauma stemming from colonisation. As a result, these approaches contribute to staff burnout, mistrust, and poor retention of First Nations workers in social services.

The study introduces a suite of conceptual maps and visual artefacts that guide supervisors and practitioners to embed cultural safety into their practice.

The work was born out of conversations on Country between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal practitioners who wanted to challenge the status quo and embed Indigenous knowledges into professional development.

“For decades, Aboriginal communities have expressed concerns about social work practices often operating from individualistic models that don’t reflect our collectivist values or ways of being,” Sorby says.

“The issue is not new, it’s just that it hasn’t been listened to or acted on at a systemic level and we want that to change.”

Sorby says the impact on First Nations communities would be “transformative” if social workers were guided by Aboriginal perspectives, working with communities, not on them.

Notes for editors

“Supervision on Country: Enhancing Culturally Safe Social Work Supervision Through First Nations Knowledges” is published in Australian Social Work. DOI: 10.1080/0312407X.2025.2462304

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Contact for interview: Jamie Sorby E: Jamie.Sorby@unisa.edu.au

Media contact: Candy Gibson M: +61 434 605 142 E: candy.gibson@unisa.edu.au

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