Victoria Bushfires
John Brumby rejects inquiry calls
Milanda Rout, Victorian political reporter THE Brumby government has rejected the two most contentious recommendations by the Black Saturday royal commission.
Fire chief insists: I'm in charge
Stuart Rintoul Craig Lapsley, Victoria's first Fire Services Commissioner, has been asked what he would do if agencies refused to hand over control.
Bushfire town hangs on rebuild
Milanda Rout, Victorian Political Reporter FOR the school community in Kinglake West, rebuilding life after Black Saturday is not easy.
Fire town's lesson in patience
Milanda Rout FOR the school community in Kinglake West, rebuilding life after Black Saturday is not easy
Schools building hits fire recovery
Milanda Rout, Victoria Political Reporter REBUILDING in towns devastated by last year's Black Saturday fires is being frustrated by an acute labour shortage.
Fire chief sorry he couldn't do more
THE Victorian Country Fire Authority's chief officer on Black Saturday has said he is sorry he was not "able to do more".
Ex-CFA boss Rees sorry over Black Saturday
3:14PM THE Country Fire Authority's chief fire officer on Black Saturday says he's sorry he wasn't "able to do more" to combat the bushfires that claimed 173 lives.
Relief efforts move to economic recovery
Chip Le Grand BUSINESS leaders in Marysville and Kinglake have welcomed a shift in the state's bushfire recovery effort.
Burn-off advice dismissed
Gavin Lower South Australia has refused to support the key burn-off recommendation of the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission.
Brumby fire 'scare campaign'
Stuart Rintoul The Brumby government had waged a scare campaign to undermine the Black Saturday commission's findings, the Victorian parliament has heard.
Firebrand research to save lives
Guy Healy AIRBORNE firebrands, implicated in the Black Saturday fires, travelled up to 22km ahead of the front, but not enough is known about them, say researchers.
Fur flies over cost of powerlines
Milanda Rout THE Brumby government now says it would cost $60 billion to put powerlines underground in bushfire-affected areas.
Fires challenge the tree-change dream
Cameron Stewart IN the aftermath of the Black Saturday bushfires, then prime minister Kevin Rudd made a pledge that echoed the national mood.
States consider what to adopt
Gavin Lower and Jamie Walker THE Black Saturday report recommendations are being considered by agencies in other states which want to stop similar tragedies occurring.
Report urges fire zone exodus
Milanda Rout and Stuart Rintoul EXPERTS have called for a national debate on whether people have a right to live in deadly bushfire zones.
'Minimalist' approach lashed
Drew Warne-Smith VICTORIA'S "minimalist" approach to controlled burning and reducing fuel loads contributed to the intensity of the Black Saturday fires.
Brumby apologises over leadership failure
Milanda Rout, Victorian political reporter IT took 18 months but Premier John Brumby has apologised for the failure of emergency services to respond to the Black Saturday fires.
Don't tell us where to live, say residents
Stuart Rintoul WHEN Peter and Rhyl Cobb decided to rebuild in Marysville, they moved from the area considered to be most at risk during a bushfire.
Black Saturday inquiry puts heat on Brumby
Scott Prasser THE Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission has reported after 18 months of investigations and hearings, writes Scott Prasser.
New role to co-ordinate bushfire planning
Milanda Rout, Victorian political reporter THE Black Saturday royal commission heard more than 15 months of evidence from 434 witnesses and considered 1700 public submissions.
Land releases must ensure safety
George Megalogenis RELEASE more land - it seems the most logical response to housing shortages in our capital cities and country towns.
Hard questions asked on living in the bush
Cameron Stewart THIS royal commission has done much more than expose the chronic failure of leadership that paralysed Victoria's response to Black Saturday.
Prince William joins locals to plant a memorial tree in Flowerdale. Picture: AFP
The Australian's award winning journalist Gary Hughes recalls how he and his family narrowly escaped the ferosity of Black Saturday.
Photo Galleries of the Black Saturday fires.
Growth spike raises rates threat
David Uren, Economics correspondent A POWERFUL finish to the financial year has put rate rises back on to the Reserve Bank's agenda as consumers spend on cars and holidays.
PM's high-risk Greens embrace
Matthew Franklin and Patricia Karvelas JULIA Gillard has agreed to a historic pact with the Australian Greens in a bid to end the nation's parliamentary deadlock.
'Kickboxing turkey' ruled over Romania
THE fossil of a stocky new dinosaur has given researchers a window into what European predators looked like in the final years of the age of dinosaurs.
America at war
As the US ends combat operations in Iraq, The Australian looks back at the length and cost of wars America has been involved in.
Schools Watch
Stories and analysis of federal government spending on schools from the stimulus package.
Aboriginal Australia
Indigenous Australians, their culture, the stolen generation, land rights, and poverty.
Victoria Bushfires
Coverage of the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria in February 2009 and the investigation that is chaged with finding answers to the tragedy.
President Barack Obama
News, features, analysis, and blogs about the administration of President Barack Obama.
Anzac Day
Anzac Day commemorations and tributes, and stories about Australian diggers serving their country.
Kimberley
A journey through Australia's remote northwest with WA Editor Tony Barrass and photographer Marie Nirme
