Bushfire clean-up bill mounts

Published: 12:18:57 PM, Tue 19 February 2013 UTC

The Tasmanian Government is facing a bushfire clean-up bill in excess of $3 million.

Three hundred property owners are eligible to have their land cleared by the State Government at an average cost of between $10,000-$12,000.

Larger properties are expected to cost more.

The Bushfire Recovery Unit's Mathew Healey has released an update on the recovery cost.

So far 37 properties have been cleaned-up, with the rest expected to be completed by the end of April.

"The clean-up cost for property owners often comes out of their insurance policy, leaving less money for the rebuild. Those who are uninsured would have to foot the bill for the clean-up," he said.

"The overall cost of the clean-up is something that can be determined once all the consent forms have been returned, when we will have a full understanding of the work required."

Crews are currently working at areas including Dunalley, Boomber Bay and Connelly's Marsh.

Lessons learnt

A preliminary review of the Tasmanian Fire Service's response to the January bushfires has found Tasmania learnt from Victorian bushfires Royal Commission.

The Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council is reviewing the planning, response, management and resourcing during the recent fires.

The council's Alan Ellis says firefighters had the advantage of having several days to prepare their response to what was one of the hottest days on record.

He says lessons from Victoria's Black Saturday fires were also helpful.

"The Tasmanian Fire Service has been quite proactive with regards to the Victorian Bushfire Royal Commission outcomes," he said.

"They've looked at what's applicable here and from our preliminary reading they've implemented a lot of the findings from that"

The report is expected to be completed by the end of March.

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