Australia - rising from the ashes after the bushfires

In the aftermath of the devastating bushfires in Australia in the 2019/20 summer, there's been a lot of finger-pointing and hand-wringing about the cause of the fires and how best to manage the land to avoid such a horrific loss of life, livestock, land and wildlife in the future. Climate change, land management and hazard reduction practices are in the spotlight.

We're delighted to have as our special guest, Victor Steffensen, an Indigenous land management expert who has studied and recorded the cultural and ecological knowledge of his people.

Victor has a hopeful message and seeks a collaborative approach from all members of the community to heal the land and learn from the mistakes of the past.

About our guest, Victor Steffensen

Victor has just published a book, Fire Country.

He also appeared on SBS's Insight program and the ABC's Q&A in February 2020 calling on the Australian Government to listen to Indigenous fire practitioners.

About Fire Country

Delving deep into the Australian landscape and the environmental challenges we face, Fire Country is a powerful account from Indigenous land management expert Victor Steffensen on how the revival of cultural burning practices, and improved 'reading' of country, could help to restore our land.

From a young age, Victor has had a passion for traditional cultural and ecological knowledge. This was further developed after meeting two Elders, who were to become his mentors and teach him the importance of cultural burning. Developed over many generations, this knowledge shows clearly that Australia actually needs fire. Moreover, fire is an important part of a wholistic approach to the environment, and when burning is done in a carefully considered manner, this ensures proper land care and healing.

Victor's story is unassuming and honest, while demonstrating the incredibly sophisticated and complex cultural knowledge that has been passed down to him, which he wants to share with others. Fire Country is written in a way that reflects the nature of yarning, and while some of the knowledge shared in this book may not align with Western views, there is much evidence that, if adopted, it could greatly benefit all Australians.

For every copy sold, Hardie Grant will donate $1 to Firesticks, which empowers Indigenous fire management practitioners to revive cultural burning.