Abstract
What are the deeper cultural issues encountered when bushfires are represented in the media? This paper reflects on the relationship between media constructions of bushfires and fire related issues. The recently published Council of Australian Governments (COAG) National Inquiry on Bushfire Mitigation and Management recommended that ‘Living with Fire’, should become the basis for a national school education program. But what will happen if this goal conflicts with the dominant representations of bushfires in the media? This question is relevant in light of current attempts by researchers and emergency organisations to generate a new public discourse about bushfires in Australia. "The discourse around fire is saturated with superlatives, with words such as ‘exceptional’, ‘unprecedented’, ‘extraordinary’ and so on. Such hyperbole may (I remain unconvinced) give some immediate comfort to those who have just suffered trauma and major losses. But in the long run, it only serves to reinforce ignorance and losses in the inevitable future event" (Campbell, 2003:246).
