We have already had countless bushfire inquiries. What good will it do to have another?

As our country battles the most extensive fires of our lifetime, there are increasing calls for a royal commission into the states and territories' preparedness and the Federal Government's response to the disaster.

Good fire and land management needs to be done
 with long-term perspective, not a short-term political focus.

A royal commission has coercive powers beyond a government inquiry, and the need for one implies there are facts and evidence that would otherwise be "hidden" to an inquiry or review.

Research I've recently conducted with other fire experts has concluded there have been 57 formal public inquiries, reviews and royal commissions related to bushfires and fire management since 1939, most of which are listed here.

I have given expert evidence to at least seven of them, including the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission.

Read the ABC News story by Kevin Tolhurst - “We have already had countless bushfire inquiries. What good will it do to have another?”