By Rowan Forster
Monash’s Liberal MP has recollected his terrifying brush with destruction during 2009’s Black Saturday bushfires, breaking ranks to credit then-Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s handling of the aftermath.
Pakenham-based Russell Broadbent thought his farm was safe from the catastrophic blaze, so he offered up his property to neighbouring farmers as a “place of refuge” for their livestock.
Within hours, the outlook completely changed.
“Things can change in a day,” he said.
“In the morning, I thought my little farm was fine – we didn’t have a problem.
“I rang others and said: ‘Look, you’re under threat, send the animals here.
“Within an hour, we knew we had to leave.”
He recollected his subsequent evacuation, revealing that his 12 years’ experience as a firefighter could not prepare him for the catastrophic hell that waited.
“My place had gone from a safe haven to one of the most dangerous places you could be in, because of the temperature,” Mr Broadbent said.
“Even though I was totally prepared, nothing could have stopped it had that fire continued on its path towards our place.”
Fortunately for Mr Broadbent and his neighbours, the bulk of the blaze changed trajectory.
However, many others weren’t as fortunate.
Victoria’s worst ever bushfire claimed the lives of 173 people.
Despite Mr McMillan’s opposition, the Labor Government, being in power – he was full of praise for Mr Rudd’s efforts.
“My wife and I were down the street in the newsagent at Pakenham in the immediate aftermath of this fire,” he said.
“She said to me as I walked in, ’If this was John Howard instead of Kevin Rudd, he’d have rung by now; he’d have been talking to you,’ and the phone went, and it was Kevin Rudd.
“The best part was that we were being acknowledged as a community by the leaders of the nation
“I think I actually identified with where the community was at and where we were at, and how I was proud of the response of the federal parliament in regard to this horrific few hours.”
Then-Labor Premier John Brumby subsequently announced a Royal Commission into the fires to examine all aspects of the government’s bushfire strategy.
Just prior to its conclusion, the commission looked at the fuel-reduction burns in Bendigo and Gippsland.
As it turned out, none of the 51 recommendations handed down dealt with fuel reduction.
Mr Broadbent believes this is still an area of concern.
“Queensland shows that we haven’t been burning off enough, as our Indigenous communities did for thousands of years before us,” he added.
“We don’t understand the threat even now, and we think we’ll be all right.”
