Nasty News

And it isn't getting any better regarding the bushfire situation.
There's the constant media coverage of the horror, the battle, the successes and various human interest stories (I'm sure you remember the 9/11, plane = tower pictures ad infinitum?)

After seeing what happened in Boolarra to all those houses built near the top of the ridge, above a steep slope of bush, it's not surprising that it's as bad as it is elsewhere.
A tree change is not always a good thing if there is no work done to prepare for the eventuality.
(and even that won't always protect the property)

Hopefully the local councils and CFA units will have greater powers to ensure home owners plan their properties protection better and reduce the risk to themselves and people who may have to assist them in protecting the property.
(rather than plonking a house in the middle of the bush and thinking it's a lovely thing to have trees growing all around with birds in them)

I'm also hoping that most people will have had insurance (unlike Canberra in 2003) as it's hard to be fully sympathetic when someones' lost their house, didn't have it insured and the insurance premiums contain fire service levies which fund the very CFA units that they need to protect their property.

Well, this will no doubt cause a rethink on tree-changes.
Wonder what it will take to cause second thoughts about sea-changes........global warming, tsunami etc