In February the State Government suspended burning within 5 kilmetres of towns following a Keelty inquiry into prescribed burns that got out of control and destroyed property in Margaret River.
Planned burns in the Blackwood region have been cut from 28 down to seven this season. Reductions of this magnitude can have a significant impact on the safety of townships.
It appears the government is concerned that its methods for planned burns are the issue rather than the actual burns as it anticipates increasing prescribed burns in the future.