Symposium advancing bushfire arson prevention in Australia

25-26 March 2010, Melbourne, Australia

The Australian Bushfire Arson Prevention Initiative and the Australian Institute of Criminology held a 2-day symposium to identify key knowledge gaps and establish priorities for advancing national action on bushfire arson prevention. Over 100 participants - from fire brigades, police services, forensic mental health services, corrections, insurance, industry, federal and state governments, and universities - attended the symposium. The Hon. Robert McClelland, MP, Attorney-General for Australia, gave the opening address for the symposium.

Symposium Materials

NEW Symposium Report: Advancing bushfire arson prevention in Australia (pdf, 3.2 MB)
Final program
Media alert

Overview and Objectives

Each year, thousands of bushfires are deliberately lit around Australia, causing significant damages to human life, communities, ecosystems and the economy. This symposium brought together a wide variety of stakeholders to set out priorities and plans for advancing the knowledge and understanding of bushfire arson prevention in Australia.

Participants examined current bushfire arson prevention approaches, identified gaps in our current knowledge and practice, and developed plans for addressing them. The themes that will be examined included:

Identifying, managing and treating people at risk of committing bushfire arson
Identifying communities with high arson potential and working with them to reduce it
Improving deterrence, capture and conviction rates of bushfire arsonists
Developing an integrated approach to bushfire arson prevention

A report containing a summary of the symposium, including key findings and recommendations, will be released shortly.