Heat on Nixon

By Kath Gannaway
CHRISTINE Nixon will face more questions at the Bushfire Royal Commission tomorrow (Wednesday) amid ongoing calls for her resignation as head of the Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority.
McEwen MP Fran Bailey was among the first to call on Ms Nixon to resign as head of VBRRA after she told the commission last week that she left the fire command post at 6pm and went home.
While calls for her to resign have been backed by other political leaders, the Police Association and some people involved in, or who lived through the Black Saturday fires, the Mail has found Ms Nixon has her supporters in the bushfire affected communities of Marysville, Steels Creek and Chum Creek.
Most said she had done a good job and could, and should, be forgiven for an error of judgement in exceptional circumstances.
Others say she had a leadership role and deserted her post and needs to be accountable.
In Marysville the overwhelming view was that she should stay.
Christine Adams from Marysville Caravan Park said the last thing recovering bushfire communities need is more change.
“Whether it was a wise move or a bad one, it wouldn’t have made any difference at the end of the day,” she said.
Another business operator who didn’t wish to be named said Ms Nixon was being crucified by the media.
“Everybody tries their best to do their job; she made a mistake and we all make mistakes,” she said.
Chair of the Marysville and Triangle Community Recovery Committee and Marysville tourism operator Tony Thompson said the community broadly was in support of Ms Nixon.
“I talk to a lot of people in the community and while a few are upset most, as we do, could not care what she was doing on the night – it would not have made a difference.
“The one thing that comes out at the other CRCs I deal with is how much they appreciate Christine and the role she has played as VBRRA chairperson,” he said.
Ian Whitford from Steels Creek spoke strongly in support, saying he didn’t believe anything she could have done on the night would have made a difference.
“Certainly with hindsight the fact she went out to dinner doesn’t look particularly good, but when she made that decision I don’t think anyone realised the severity of the fire,” he said.
John O’Neill fought and saved his house in Steels Creek.
“I don’t think I would crucify the woman,” he said. “At the end of the day who knows what advice she was given, or the urgency put on it.
“Basically at the end of the day it was all a stuff-up,” he observed.
Lorraine O’Dell and her family lost their home at Chum Creek. She said she believed Ms Nixon was being unfairly treated by the media.
“I don’t see that it is such an issue,” she said and added that in conversations with her neighbours she believed there was support for Ms Nixon.
Marysville community leader Brigadier Nick Jans however believes Ms Nixon must go.
He told the Mail his view was not so much about the Black Saturday revelation, but about her leadership of VBRRA.
“It’s not a good look for a general to be absent from the command post if a big battle is pending, but if she had handled the post recovery program with any sort of skill I would say let’s forget what happened there.
“I don’t think the post recovery has been managed well at all,” he said.
In a letter to the Mail, Healesville resident Graham Ledger backed Ms Bailey’s call for Ms Nixon to stand down.
“In a major emergency situation, where many emergency and support agencies and resources need to work together, it is a huge task to co-ordinate and often a senior person can overcome ‘red tape’ issues, open doors and make things happen,” he said.
He said the revelations about her choices on Black Saturday could be a divisive influence within bushfire communities and she should go.
Ms Bailey has made a number of previous calls for VBRRA to be wound up, saying it was overly bureaucratic and that Ms Nixon was not managing the recovery process well.
Last week she went on record as saying a leader should not leave their post.
“Christine Nixon must go,” she said.