Last week, Launceston faced the frightening prospect of several uncontrollable bushfires that threatened to engulf homes in our eastern suburbs.
$0/
(min cost $0)
Login or signup to continue reading
Australia faces the threat of bushfires every summer. They often devastate communities, wildlife, and the environment.
But when these fires are deliberately lit, the damage seems to hurt more. The maximum prison sentence for unlawfully setting fire to property in Australia is 21 years. Should that maximum be a mandatory sentence, especially if lives are lost? Many I've talked with this week say yes.
I agree the courts should show no leniency to individuals convicted of lighting fires deliberately, and here's why:
Bushfires take lives but also irrevocably change the lives of those who survive.
These fires often turn into infernos that spread rapidly. Residents, firefighters, and wildlife are all placed in harm's way.
A firebug's reckless disregard for the safety and well-being of others demands no sympathy from the justice system.
The economic toll of bushfires caused by firebugs is staggering.
Firefighting efforts are expensive. Many brave people who fight these fires volunteer, but the equipment they use costs big money. For those who lose their homes or have them significantly damaged, there are long-term economic consequences. Leniency towards arsonists fails to acknowledge the significant financial burden the fires they light impose on people.
Communities ravaged by fire are left grappling with emotional scars that can persist for years. Families lose homes, cherished possessions, and sometimes loved ones. The psychological distress experienced by survivors is compounded by knowing someone deliberately lit the fire that resulted in these losses.
Showing leniency towards arsonists sends the wrong message to potential offenders; it lets them off the hook. Holding people who deliberate light bushfires fully accountable for their actions would only act as a deterrent, which could help protect communities from future harm.
In light of the deliberately lit bushfire in Ravenswood Reserve, authorities must take a strong stance against any arsonist police catch.
If anyone knows who it was, they should help our police investigate and arrest the offender. Perpetrators must face the full force of the law. It would not be dobbing; it would be saving future lives.
I have advocated for rehabilitation and support services for criminals in the past. I don't believe locking people up solves every problem, but certain offences, like murder and deliberately lighting a bushfire, do deserve lengthy prison sentences.
Protecting communities, safeguarding lives and property and upholding the rule of law and decency demand that those responsible for lighting fires in Australia be held accountable to the fullest extent of the court's powers.
Leniency towards firebugs undermines people's safety and exacerbates economic and environmental damage, and fails to provide justice for victims.
Firebugs must be held accountable for their actions without exception.
I am a media and communications professional with experience across print, digital, social and radio broadcasts. I am currently the Editor of Australian Community Media's Launceston Examiner.
I am a media and communications professional with experience across print, digital, social and radio broadcasts. I am currently the Editor of Australian Community Media's Launceston Examiner.
Those who deliberately light bushfires should get no leniency from the courts
11
0
09.03.2024
Last week, Launceston faced the frightening prospect of several uncontrollable bushfires that threatened to engulf homes in our eastern suburbs.
$0/
(min cost $0)
Login or signup to continue reading
Australia faces the threat of bushfires every summer. They often devastate communities, wildlife, and the environment.
But when these fires are deliberately lit, the damage seems to hurt more. The maximum prison sentence for unlawfully setting fire to property in Australia is 21 years. Should that maximum be a mandatory sentence, especially if lives are lost? Many I've talked with this week say yes.
I agree the courts should show no leniency to individuals convicted of lighting fires deliberately, and here's why:
Bushfires take lives but also irrevocably change the lives of those who survive.
These fires often turn into infernos that spread........
© The Examiner
visit website
login
who are we?
contact us
qosheapp
Toi Staff
Gideon Levy
Mohamad Elmasry
Belen Fernandez
Brahma Chellaney
Petra Lesjak Tušek
Tarik Cyril Amar
Cheryl Levi
