Concerns have been aired that the hearings for the royal commission into summer's unprecedented bushfires do not have enough people who personally experienced the disaster.
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Scheduled for two weeks, the hearings for the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements began on Monday and so far have mostly featured the likes of academics, government representatives, and professionals in medical, financial and energy fields, as well as some members of fire-affected communities
But Chris "Doss" O'Sullivan, who lives near Wyndham and experienced losses from the fires himself, said the hearings were not giving enough weight to those who had lived experience of the bushfires.
"I am worried all they will do is talk to these bureaucrats and get the answers they want to hear and nothing's going to happen," he said.
"Unless you've got a title in front or behind your name you're just not getting a go; they should talk to people on the ground, normal people.
"Us people that were there, whether we were fighting, helping or evacuating, we know what worked or what didn't work."
He said during the bushfires he passed on up-to-date information from the Rural Fire Service (RFS) firefighters at the Wyndham fire shed to the local community via social media.
He has made a written submission to the royal commission and said he witnessed communication problems to the RFS as well as residents, while also observed the usefulness of satellite communication technology.
"People were still watching cricket on satellite TVs on January 3 when the sky was covered in smoke," he said.
But Mr O'Sullivan, whose house was saved by the RFS during the fires even though he lost fences, sheds, a water pump, chook house and vegetable garden, said the main problem was the amount of work required to obtain support during the recovery process.
"Dealing with the recovery process is more traumatic that fighting the bushfires," he said.
He said some people he knew who suffered losses had to deal with 17 different forms, and he said his insurance provider went into "reactive mode" and would only help if they were approached first.
"If you're still traumatised in a caravan or on your property and you haven't got the gumption to chase that up, it just doesn't happen," he said.
READ ALSO: Bushfires royal commission gets underway
A royal commission spokesperson said the hearings included "people with diverse experiences relevant to the work of the commission', but were also only one component of its work.
"To date, the commission has received more than 1700 public submissions with around 75 per cent of submissions from individuals," the spokesperson said.
"It is also important to note that the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements is focused on national coordination."
Before the introduction of COVID-19 restrictions, the commission held 17 community forums and visited a number of fire-affected regions across Australia, including Bega and Eden.
"While the forums were not formal sittings of the royal commission they provided important background and informed the direction of its inquiry," the royal commission spokesperson said.
Also, in May the commission launched the 2019-20 Bushfire History Project which the spokesperson said was an opportunity for people to engage with the commission and record their personal experience to form part of Australia's historical record, while any material submitted "may also" be used as evidence.
They said the commission will also be consulting with stakeholders from community organisations, businesses, or any of the three levels of government.