Forestry Fire Insurance Fund

In reply to Ms REDMOND (Heysen) (19 June 2014).

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier): The fire self-insurance fund was built-up by ForestrySA in order to replant areas of their commercial forestry estate in the event of fire. The bulk of the ForestrySA commercial forestry estate was in the Green Triangle region. Since the Green Triangle region commercial forests are no longer part of ForestrySA's commercial estate, the fund was returned to government as a special dividend. As ForestrySA's retained plantation comprises only a small proportion of the overall commercial forestry estate, a separate fire self-insurance fund was not considered necessary.

The Government recently announced in June that 60 hectares of the Bundaleer forest that was destroyed in the fires in 2013 was going to be replanted. Future options for the Mid North forests, which were affected by the Bangor fire earlier this year, are still being considered and will be the subject of local community consultation.