Reducing bushfire risks - Comment on the draft plan

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The City of Cockburn has drafted a five-year Bushfire Risk Management Plan. Before finalising the plan, the City is seeking community feedback on the draft. The City will consider the community's feedback, alongside the State Government guidelines and legislation when finalising the plan.

The plan must meet the Department of Fire and Emergency Services quality assurance review before proceeding to the State Government's Office of Bushfire Risk Management for final approval.

About the draft plan

Local governments in areas with significant bushfire risks must prepare a bushfire risk management plan. The plan's purpose is to establish a collaborative approach to

The City of Cockburn has drafted a five-year Bushfire Risk Management Plan. Before finalising the plan, the City is seeking community feedback on the draft. The City will consider the community's feedback, alongside the State Government guidelines and legislation when finalising the plan.

The plan must meet the Department of Fire and Emergency Services quality assurance review before proceeding to the State Government's Office of Bushfire Risk Management for final approval.

About the draft plan

Local governments in areas with significant bushfire risks must prepare a bushfire risk management plan. The plan's purpose is to establish a collaborative approach to addressing bushfire risks. It does this by providing a framework that:

  • Identifies assets in Cockburn with significant bushfire risk
  • Outlines the treatments needed to reduce these risks
  • Identifies who is responsible for the treatments.

Due to the dynamic nature of our urban and natural environment, bushfire risks are constantly evolving. The plan is therefore flexible and will change over time.

Bushfires cannot be eliminated from the landscape, and there are circumstances when fire cannot be controlled. However, planning and preparedness activities can reduce their frequency, spread, and impact. Bushfire preparedness is a shared responsibility, and only by working together can we reduce the impacts of bushfires.

Read the draft plan

  • Online - Download a copy from the Document Library
  • Hard copy - Collect from a City of Cockburn Library (Coolbellup, Spearwood, Success) or Administration Building (9 Coleville Crescent, Spearwood)

How to participate

Feedback closes 4pm, Wednesday 9 August 2023
NullSubmit your feedback via the form below (hard copies available at City of Cockburn libraries and Administration Building)
NullChat to us at a pop-up
NullSubmit your feedback, name, and address via email to [email protected]
NullAsk us a question on the Q&A board below
NullFor more information or assistance, please contact the City's Community Safety and Ranger Services Team at 08 9411 3444


  • Project Update - August 2023

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    CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.

    Thank you for your feedback

    The City asked for your feedback between July and August 2023 on our draft framework for assessing bushfire risks in Cockburn. This page received 550 visits, and users downloaded the draft plan 380 times. The City received 26 submissions, including 10 feedback form responses,15 written submissions, and one phone submission. Thank you for having your say.

    What our community said

    The feedback was diverse, without a discernible and consistent overarching theme. Approximately 50% of the feedback pertained directly to the plan itself, while the remaining 50% addressed broader aspects of bushfire management and mitigation activities.

    • Some of the feedback about the plan included -
      • Provide an assessment of the escalating risks associated with climate change and its ramifications for heightened bushfire occurrences.
      • Replace complex terminology, such as ‘tenure-blind’, with accessible language.
      • Incorporate references to relevant plans, policies, and legislative frameworks, such as the City's Climate Change Strategy 2020-2030, the State Government's Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016, and the State Planning Policy 3.7 - Planning in bushfire prone areas.
    • Some of the feedback outside the plan's scope but relevant to bushfire mitigation included:
      • Limit the use of introduced species in parks and reserves.
      • Seek opportunities to incorporate local Aboriginal methods into burn-off operations and investigate potential employment possibilities.
      • Clarify details regarding the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attraction's risk management strategies for Shirley Balla Reserve in Banjup.

    For more information, read the Community Feedback Summary in the Document Library.

    Next steps

    The City is reviewing the community’s feedback alongside the relevant legislation and guidelines as we finalise the plan.

    We will present the final plan to the Department of Fire and Emergency Services for quality assurance, before seeking final sign off from the State Government’s Office of Bushfire Risk Management. We will then present the plan to Council for adoption in fourth-quarter 2023. Once approved, we will publish the plan on the City of Cockburn website.

    Meanwhile, the City's Community Safety and Ranger Services Team continue their year-round fire prevention endeavours in preparation for the upcoming summer bushfire season.

    More information

    For more information on Fire and Emergency Management please visit the City's website or contact the City's Community Safety and Ranger Services Team at 08 9411 3444 or [email protected].

Page last updated: 15 Sep 2023, 03:35 PM