Australian Bushfire Management Association Ltd

14/10/2026

Queensland's window for permitted burns is closing early this year.
After the state's driest winter in six years, spring fires arrived fast: a Seek Shelter Now warning at Teelah in the South Burnett on 22 September, and a fire near Nundubbermere traced to a permitted burn that had escaped weeks earlier.
The lesson for landholders: a burn isn't finished when the flames drop. Check mop-up on burns you've already done, and plan for a shorter, tighter window for what's left. For the official picture, follow your state fire agency.
Our summary:

12/10/2026

Could a strip of watered, low-flammability plants slow a bushfire at the edge of town?
New modelling from the University of the Sunshine Coast and Natural Hazards Research Australia ran 20 scenarios in Queensland's Noosa Shire. Fire was modelled to move almost four times faster through dry eucalypt forest than through an unirrigated green firebreak, and more than 80 times faster than through one watered with just 2mm a day.
The researchers are clear that green firebreaks won't suit everywhere or stop every fire, but they can buy time for warnings and evacuation. For councils and developers planning new estates near bushland, that's a design option worth knowing about.
Our summary and the full report:

07/10/2026

If you hire someone to burn, clear or assess bushfire risk on your property, how do you know they'll do it safely and honestly?
Every ABMA member signs our Code of Ethics and Practice, a public commitment to competence, integrity, safety, environmental responsibility and fair dealing. It's published so clients and landholders can see exactly what members have signed up to.
Next step: national standards for the private sector. Our Industry Standards & Professional Development committee is working on them now, and we'll share progress once the Board signs off.
Read the Code:

05/10/2026

No. ABMA is an independent, volunteer-run industry association in the private sector. We engage with government on policy; we are not a fire agency and we are not funded as one. That distinction matters when people look for incident information or permits — those sit with the state and territory agencies linked from our Resource Directory. More answers: FAQs on the site.

30/09/2026

Need a private-sector bushfire practitioner — planning, prescribed burning, vegetation management? ABMA’s Professional Directory is the public member listing. Search by state or territory. Members listed there have agreed to the Code of Ethics and Practice. Looking for legislation and manuals instead? That is the Resource Directory, under Resources — a different page on purpose.

28/09/2026

Vegetation work for bushfire mitigation is jurisdiction-specific. Clearing codes, 10/50-style entitlements and permit pathways change by land tenure and by the day. ABMA’s Resource Directory links the official legislation and agency landings (for example Queensland’s Vegetation Management Act 1999 on the Queensland legislation website, and NSW RFS hazard-reduction / Bush Fire Environmental Assessment Code pages). That is a map of doors. It is not permission to clear, not legal advice, and not a substitute for checking the agency tool on the day of works.

23/09/2026

ABMA membership is not a sticker for the ute. It is whether the private sector has a seat when procurement, standards and insurance settings are decided. Members also get listing in the Professional Directory, the Code of Ethics and Practice, and the work of four Technical Advisory Committees. Tiers and fees are on the Membership page — we will not paraphrase prices here in case they change.

21/09/2026

For private prescribed-burning contractors, insurance is not a side issue — the live Why Join page sets out why ABMA treats it as structural. Premiums and cover are a barrier to the burning the landscape needs. TAC 2 (Advocacy & Industry Relations) is the workstream engaging insurers and government on workable frameworks. TAC 3 is building the capability material underwriters ask to see. Neither conversation exists without a national association behind it. We will not quote unofficial numbers on social.

16/09/2026

ABMA’s News page carries the industry item: AFAC has flagged increased spring bushfire risk across most of Australia (Seasonal Bushfire Outlook — Spring 2026). That outlook is an agency product. Read AFAC’s publication for the picture in your region. ABMA is not issuing fire danger ratings and is not a control agency.

The establishment of this policy statement recognises ABMA's position in relation to its members and bushfire response. As identified in many previous bushfire events, the under utilisation and reluctance to engage private sector resources for the purpose of supporting or augmenting combat agencies....

14/09/2026

Prescribed burning sits inside agency doctrine and jurisdictional law — it is not a single national recipe. ABMA’s Resource Directory points to the AFAC Prescribed Burning Network, which hosts national prescribed-burning principles and position material. Use that official source, then confirm permits and environmental pathways in your state or territory. ABMA does not interpret the burn for you.

The National Prescribed Burning Network, comprising AFAC member agencies in each Australian jurisdiction plus the Forest Fire Management Group (FFMG), has formed a Steering Committee to inform strategic directions.