The Wire

Never again is the promise from Victorian premier John Brumby in the wake of the bushfires. He’s promising the country’s most drastic building code so that all houses rebuilt will be far better placed to resist fire. But can you really totally fireproof a house? Archicentre National Manager Rob Caulfield says no, not absolutely, but houses can certainly be better designed than they have been. David Peterson is principal bushfire planner with Ecological Australia. He says its unrealistic to think that all older housing stock can be brought up to code and that public education is just as important.