A SPECIAL Inquiry has been opened into the recent fires in the Shire of Waroona, the Shire of Harvey and the townsite of Yarloop, in which the latter was practically destroyed by the blaze.
Special Enquirer Euan Ferguson has invited members of the public to make a submission to the Special Inquiry into the fires.
Submissions should address the specific Terms of Reference of the Special Inquiry, which concern the effectiveness of the response to the fire, lessons learned from previous bushfire emergencies and legislative, policy or functional reforms which may strengthen Western Australia's capabilities to manage bushfire-related risk.
The Special Inquiry will work as a fully independent agency throughout the process, and the closing date for submissions is March 4.
The full Terms of Reference are available at publicsector.wa.gov.au/document/public-inquiry-january-2016-waroona-fire-terms-reference.
Electronic submissions atatched as a Word document or PDF are preferred, and can be sent to WaroonaInquiry@semc.wa.gov.au
Written submissions can also be sent to: Waroona Inquiry, Level 6 Dumas House, 2 Havelock Street, West Perth WA 6005.
The Inquiry asks that all submissions be under 20 pages and that respondents include their full postal address and contact details.
Respondents are also asked to include details on whether they wish to orally present their submission at a private or public hearing.
Go to waroonainquiry@semc.wa.gov.au or call 9482 1750 for more information.