Protecting the South West from the coming firestorm with hempcrete

Imagine standing on your porch as the horizon turns a bruised, angry orange. The air smells of spent matches and fear. For the people of our South West, this isn't a distant nightmare: it is a looming reality. Recent data from the National Climate Risk Assessment confirms what many of us have long suspected. Our beautiful South West is likely to be the hardest hit region in the entire country when it comes to fire risk.

A missed opportunity for safety

In my years as a GP, I have learned that prevention is always better than a desperate cure. I first brought the potential for hempcrete bushfire shelters to the attention of the House nearly four years ago. Hempcrete is more than just a sustainable building material: it is naturally fire resistant and offers an incredible shield against the heat. It seems like common sense to use a scientifically proven, carbon negative material to save lives.

Instead: the government informed me today that they do not promote specific products. It is a sterile response to a visceral danger. While families worry about their homes and their lives, we are met with bureaucratic indifference. I find it difficult to understand why, after four years of waiting, no serious investigative work has been undertaken into how this plant could protect our communities.

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The human cost of corporate greed

We are standing at a cliff edge. The reports coming from the federal level are damning. We are facing an era of unprecedented fire risk, fueled by what I can only describe as corporate ecoterrorism. These large scale environmental impacts are not just statistics; they represent the anxiety of a mother packing an emergency bag and the frustration of a farmer watching the clouds for rain that never comes.

The government points to land use planning and community preparedness brochures. These are important, but they are not enough. We need bold, forward thinking solutions that tackle the root of the problem and provide physical safety for those in the line of fire. We are the ones looking at the evidence while the major parties focus on the status quo. The science is there. The material is there. The only thing missing is the political will to act before the next smoke column appears on the horizon.

The full details of my exchange regarding hempcrete bushfire shelters are available in the public record. If you believe it is time for a more sensible approach to our environment and our safety, please join us at Legalise Cannabis WA.