Many more towns are at risk of being de stroyed by bushfires similar to those seen on Black Saturday, because they are being built in bushland locations where fire is a repeated event, the Royal Commission in vestigating the fires has heard.

A panel of planning experts told the commission in February that building in areas of bushfire risk should be reconsid ered as part of regular planning procedure, as should the resettlement of bushfire vic tims in locations that have already been destroyed. Professor Roz Hansen told the Commission there were “lots of Marysvilles out there” – referring to the Victorian town of Marysville which burned to the ground – and that any planning solutions adopted to minimise bushfire risk would have far- reaching effects.

She said the bushfires were a “lost op portunity” if they succeeded in highlight ing bushfire risk but did not result in re considering development in such areas.

Giving evidence, policy and infra structure expert Athol Yeats said a “knee- jerk” reaction of governments and the community to rebuild after disasters was often seen .

Hansen agreed. “When one looks at those particular settlements and looks at their characteristics it sent out alarm bells to me that, in a planning sense and putting bushfire risk management at the top of planning considerations, I would not have said that those settlements should have been resettled in the recovery program.”

Disaster risk management also had to shift from the “fire-engine side” of re sponse and recovery, into preparation, and particularly prevention, Yeats told the commission.