The recent Melbourne bushfires have been the worst natural disaster in Australian history. The official death toll (as at 14 Feb) is 181 and this is expected to rise as authorities check more of the 1,800+ homes lost to the fires.

While the widely held view is that our emergency services have responded extremely well to this enormous challenge, in the immediate aftermath it seems that some policing of the fire zones is actually counterproductive. In particular, some restrictions on residents’ access to their fire ravaged home towns seem quite inappropriate. It has been reported by the media and independent sources that residents who have remained behind to tend to their properties are running out of food and drinking water, yet Victoria Police are hampering self-help relief efforts by blocking public road access.

In the case of a fire related death a crime scene is usually declared and public access is restricted until the necessary evidence has been collected by police. This law serves our society well under normal circumstances; however our current circumstances here in Victoria are anything but normal. It seems that Victoria Police have declared whole towns crime scenes in some cases and are restricting public access, even to residents who leave the town to fetch drinking water and food for those who remain behind. I can only assume that our emergency and social services are so overstretched that they’re not able to provide this kind of relief to all who need it.

If there has ever been a need to adapt the law to serve the public good in time of crisis, then surely this is it. The inappropriate, blanket application of rigid rules during a crisis is a sign of a failing system; one that is unable to adapt to change. In nature when living things stop adapting to change, they die out.

If this situation doesn’t change soon, then Victorian citizens will be justified in questioning the competency of our leaders to manage this crisis appropriately. As a former defence and emergency services officer with 20 years experience, I am sure there is some way to permit the flow of essential supplies to these residents who are effectively being blockaded in their own towns.