Council & Business
6 February, 2026
Firefighters, residents critical of slashing
Local firefighters and community members have criticised Central Goldfields Shire Council for slashing the roads “too late” in the year.
Central Goldfields Shire Council are once again being criticised for slashing the roads “too late” according to community members and local firefighters.
As council’s roadside slashing program continues into summer community members are questioning the operation’s timing.
Carisbrook Fire Brigade Captain Ian Boucher has condemned the program as “dangerous” claiming council are putting their finances first.
“As far as I’m concerned the shire is just putting their bottom line dollar ahead of community safety,” he said.
“There’s no reward whatsoever and the risk is just astronomical.”
Central Goldfields Shire Council have said they undertake roadside slashing to reduce fire’s fuel loads and to maintain road safety.
In a now deleted Facebook post, they said no slashing takes place on days of serious fire danger and that all slashers are accompanied by fire prevention vehicles when working.
In that same post council said the program’s timing is based on advice from the CFA and Forest Fire Management Victoria, considering rainfall and grass drying rates, not “armchair experts on social media”.
Among that group, however, is the CFA’s Goldfields Group Officer Peter Higgins who represents the local fire brigades — he too criticised council’s timing.
“It comes from all points of all brigades in all areas. We’re slashing too late,” Mr Higgins said.
While council said the roadside slashing program is carried out by a contractor in accordance with the CFA Roadside Fire Management Guidelines and the Road Management Act, Mr Higgins said change was needed.
“They’re following the rules but perhaps we need to change the rules,” he said.
“Let’s try to nut out a solution that works.”
Captain Boucher has repeatedly voiced his concerns of council’s roadside slashing program in a dispute he said goes back 15 years.
“The concerns of the local CFA or brigades are not taken into consideration,” he said.
“It just falls on deaf ears.”
While both he and Mr Higgins recognise roadside slashing is largely for road safety, not fire prevention, that’s a cold comfort for concerned Majorca resident Pat Hedger.
Ms Hedger said she moved to Majorca six months before the 1985 bushfires — a memory that has stuck with her in the four decades since.
“I hate summer, I can’t stand it, because of what happened in 1985,” she said.
Those fires would go on to burn 50,800 hectares of land, claim one person’s life, seriously hurt five others, destroyed 101 homes, and burned 500 farms which killed 40,000 livestock.
“To come back and see the devastation it was just really mind boggling,” she said.
Ms Hedger believes council should be slashing from fenceline-to-fenceline to reduce the risk of fire.
Central Goldfields Shire Council said the way they slash is informed by expert advice.
“Roads receive a three metre fuel separation and safety cut, and strategic firebreaks which are identified by the CFA are slashed fenceline-to-fenceline,” they said.
Mr Higgins said he hopes all those involved can come together to find a better solution for when roadside slashing is done.
“We definitely need to revisit this again. We need to get all parties to the table. It’s not only the Central Goldfields Shire it’s all the shires,” he said.